Sleepless in Seattle revised
by catherder
Summary: Asha Barlowe arrives in Seattle to help Logan with his mission to detroy Project Manticore
1. Sleepless in Seattle, Chapter One

Title: Sleepless in Seattle (Revised)  
  
Disclaimer: Dark Angel is owned by Charles Eglee, James Cameron, and Fox. I claim no rights to these characters, alas, although I like to play with them.  
  
Episode Reference: Between end of Season One and beginning of Season Two  
  
Rating: R  
  
Summary: Summoned by Eyes Only, Asha comes to Seattle and reunites with Logan. This story explores their relationship and past history.  
  
A/N Thanks to a fan for much insight and thoughtful beta duties. I am reposting this with a different rating in keeping with fanfiction.net's new policy.  
  
  
  
I live for reviews. You know what to do  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter One  
  
Asha Barlowe stood in front of Fogle Towers. Shifting her backpack from one shoulder to the other, she pushed the button for Logan Cale's penthouse. She was buzzed in and took the elevator up to his floor. Almost shaking with anticipation, she knocked on his door.  
  
She and her political group, the S1W, had assisted Eyes Only for two years, acting mainly as informants through her old friend, Logan. She had met Logan when she was a college journalism student, serving an internship at the Pacific Free Press in San Francisco. They had worked together until he had moved to Seattle. So when she got the phone call from him, asking her to come to Seattle with some members of S1W for help in a major Eyes Only story, she was eager to oblige.  
  
She hadn't seen Logan since he had relocated; they had communicated mainly by phone and e-mail. But they had been very close back in the day, and she looked forward to rekindling the relationship. She could still visualize him in her mind the last time she saw him, the day he left for Seattle: tall, handsome, spiky uncombed hair, wire rimmed glasses, dressed in his characteristic sweater and khakis. She had always thought that for a rich guy he sure was unpretentious.  
  
After she had settled the rest of her team in one of Eyes Only's safe houses, she had hopped onto the rickety bus that took her to Sector Nine, where Logan lived. Asha wondered what he'd been up to the past few years, other than his work with Eyes Only. He had always played close to the vest, revealing little of himself to anyone, even her. It had been frustrating, but she understood his need for discretion.  
  
***  
  
Logan answered the door. The smile left Asha's face and her eyes widened in shock. Her tall, handsome ex-lover looked like absolute hell. And he was in a wheelchair.  
  
"M-my God, Logan!" she stammered. "What the hell's happened to you?"  
  
"Nice to see you too, Asha," Logan replied sardonically. "Come on in." He rolled back to let her into the apartment. His hair hung in his eyes; he had more than stubble - maybe a week's worth of beard. Behind the rimless glasses, his eyes were red as if he'd been sleepless for a while.  
  
"Logan," she repeated. "What's happened to you?"  
  
"I got shot - more than a year ago." He wheeled himself into the living room. "Can I get you a cup of coffee or something to eat?"  
  
Asha flopped down on the sofa. "You can get me some explanations. Just saying you got shot doesn't make it. You owe me more than that, don't you think? And what's going on? You look terrible."  
  
"Well, you certainly haven't changed - still asking the probing questions. I was trying to get a witness in a major trial into witness protection and we were ambushed. Two of my guys got killed. Luckily the witness and her daughter were rescued."  
  
"Well, I'm glad to hear that they made it. Sorry about your guys. And how many times have we spoken on the phone in the past year and you didn't bother to tell me any of this?" Asha indicated the chair, admonishing Logan.  
  
"It-it's not something I like to talk about," Logan admitted, turning his chair toward the window.  
  
Asha shook her head. "And - how bad is it? Your injury, I mean. Are you in any pain?"  
  
" - Bad enough. Almost no feeling from mid-chest down. But no pain at least."  
  
"Oh, Logan, I am so sorry."  
  
"That's why I didn't tell you!" Logan said sharply, mistaking her concern for pity.  
  
Stung, Asha changed the subject. "Could I have that cup of coffee now?"  
  
Logan wheeled into the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee from his coffeemaker. "Cream, no sugar, right?"  
  
"You remembered. Thanks." Asha gratefully took the coffee from Logan. "Ah, the real stuff! You always did know how to live."  
  
"Yeah, right." Logan smiled sadly.  
  
"OK. That explains the wheelchair. Now, why do you look like a truck hit you?  
  
"I beg your pardon?"  
  
"Your hair is dirty and uncombed. You haven't shaved in a while. Your clothes are all wrinkled like you've been sleeping in them, except you look like you haven't slept in a week. That's not like you."  
  
"I've got a lot on my mind. You - caught me at a bad time. That's all. You should have called me when you got into town and given me a little warning."  
  
"So you could do what? Clean yourself up and turn yourself back into the guy I knew in San Francisco? The one I used to sleep with five years ago? That wasn't going to happen, was it?"  
  
"Give me 30 minutes."  
  
"Sure. Take all the time you want, Logan. I'm not going anywhere."  
  
Logan wheeled himself down the hall toward his bedroom, while Asha sat on the sofa, sipping her coffee. After a few minutes, she got up and walked over to the window wall behind the sofa. The view from Logan's penthouse was spectacular. Looking down over the city, she could see the small park nearby, the trees in bloom in the early summer warmth. From up here, she thought, life didn't seem so gritty. The streets didn't seem so dirty, or the people so shabby. It was almost like Logan lived in an ivory tower. But she knew he didn't, hadn't, as long as she had known him. He could always see the rot beneath the façade.  
  
She finished her coffee and went into the kitchen for a refill. As she looked around the room, she noticed the little touches that indicated the retrofit to accommodate Logan's wheelchair - lower counters, and cabinets below, rather than above them. No carpeting. Wide aisles between the counters and worktables. He'd been thorough, she thought, except for telling his friends about what had happened.  
  
Asha went back to the window and gazed out again. She could see tiny vignettes of real life playing out below. From this height, they were like a silent movie.  
  
A slight noise interrupted her daydream and she turned around to see Logan, now freshly showered and shaven, dressed in clean clothes . and standing. He looked just like the man she had known and loved in San Francisco. He slowly walked toward her. Asha's jaw dropped.  
  
"Logan! Wha- what is going on here? Are trying to give me a coronary?"  
  
"Sorry." He tapped the side of his leg and Asha heard a dull metallic sound. "It's an exoskeleton - DoD surplus - that a friend gave me. Works sort of like super-sophisticated, computerized leg braces. Gets me upright and ambulatory. I thought you might be more, ah, comfortable seeing me like this instead of in the chair."  
  
"Thanks. I appreciate that. I think I'm still in a state of shock. Now, what do you need S1W's help on?"  
  
Logan walked over to the computer and sat down. "Have you ever heard of Project Manticore?" 


	2. Sleepless in Seattle, Chapter Two

Chapter Two  
  
"Project Manticore?" Asha repeated. "Can't say that I have."  
  
"Well, it's a covert government project dedicated to designing the perfect soldier. They create soldiers using highly advanced genetic engineering, then employ extreme training techniques in an attempt to develop the ultimate killing machine." Logan typed some code and brought up computer screens detailing his research thus far. "Our government's playing God."  
  
"Sounds creepy," Asha responded, leaning over his shoulder to look at the screen. He half expected long dark, wavy hair to tickle his neck. The feeling of a female leaning close to him was comforting and enjoyable.  
  
"It is. And billions of our tax dollars have been going into it for decades."  
  
"So, what does this have to do with Eyes Only?"  
  
"We have to find out where it's located and how it's funded. Got some leads at the Department of Defense." Logan swiveled in the desk chair and looked at her.  
  
"Wow, Eyes Only's tangling with some big boys."  
  
"Definitely. We're going to bring Project Manticore down."  
  
"These people probably have very deep pockets. Why is Eyes Only getting involved in such a large-scale operation?"  
  
"It's a special project - a favor for an old friend you might say."  
  
"Whew! Must be a very good friend!" Asha said. "So what does Eyes Only need us to do?"  
  
"We need to get documents detailing Manticore budgets and projects - follow the money trail. Some of these will be in the Veteran's Administration office, some will be in Department of Defense files. I've hacked into some DoD files that seem to be the right ones - they're encrypted and I'm in the process of trying to break the cipher - but I'll need others to do the. ah, legwork."  
  
Asha looked at him knowingly. "Be happy to oblige. Just let me know where and what. I've got a good team assembled here. They're experts at breaking and entering."  
  
"Good. Do they realize the danger in this?"  
  
"Of course. We're prepared for anything Eyes Only can throw at us."  
  
"Thanks. I'm sure Eyes Only will be very grateful."  
  
"Well you know us. Fight the power. Protect the downtrodden."  
  
Logan nearly jumped out of his skin when she said that. It was the same thing Max had said to him months ago - one of the many times she had teased him about Eyes Only. Unbidden tears welled up in his eyes and he quickly turned back to the computer screen so Asha wouldn't see them.  
  
No matter how hard he tried to get over her, it always came back to Max. Here he was, in his apartment with a beautiful woman whom he'd bedded many times back in the day and all he could think about was Max.  
  
"Logan?"  
  
He jerked back to reality. "Sorry, I spaced for a minute."  
  
"Are you OK?"  
  
"Just a little tired. I haven't gotten much sleep lately."  
  
"With an operation this big, I can understand why. You must be Eyes Only's number one operative."  
  
"Something like that. I've done a ton of preliminary work on this. We should be able to proceed with the active phase shortly."  
  
"Great. I was getting bored in San Francisco. I could use a little action," she said in an inviting tone.  
  
Logan looked up at Asha, wondering what kind of action she meant. They'd been pretty "active" together back then, and always willing to try something new and exciting, Logan admitted to himself. He closed his eyes for a second. Don't go there, Logan.  
  
"Ah. do you want to stay here while we come up with a plan of action? I've got a spare bedroom." Now why did he say that? Why?  
  
"Thanks. That would be nice," Asha replied. "The safe house didn't look too comfy."  
  
"Well, it's OK, but the accommodations here are much better."  
  
"And I'll bet the food is a hell of a lot better, if I remember correctly."  
  
"Well, yeah, I guess it is," Logan said, flattered that she remembered his cooking skills. He hadn't had the opportunity to cook for anyone lately. He missed the teasing from Max whenever he cooked for her. She was always ready with some smart remark about the food. Hell, he just missed the company. "In that case, I suppose a home-cooked meal is in order."  
  
"That would be wonderful, Logan. I haven't had one in a long time. Now where can I stash my stuff? And I'd love to get a hot shower."  
  
Logan closed the program and turned the computer off. He got up from the chair and picked up Asha's backpack from the couch. "Follow me."  
  
In a few minutes, he had her settled into the simple but expensively furnished guest room. Then he went back to the kitchen to prepare dinner, while Asha reveled in a hot shower, real shampoo, and fluffy towels.  
  
*****  
  
Twenty minutes later, Asha stood before Logan, wrapped in a towel, her hair wet and wavy. He turned around and almost dropped the bottle of olive oil he was holding.  
  
"Asha, I didn't hear you come in! Er . did you enjoy your shower?"  
  
"Yes, it felt so good. I haven't had a shower like that in years - as a matter of fact, not since your place in San Francisco. I'd keep you around just for the hot water."  
  
"Nice to know I'm appreciated as something other than a boy-toy," Logan said with a rueful laugh.  
  
"Oh, much more, Logan. Much more." Asha was tempted to drop the towel, just to see what Logan's reaction would be, but something in his eyes told her it wasn't a good idea. "Let me get dressed, then I can help you with dinner."  
  
"Ah, do I have to remind you that cooking is not one of your strengths?"  
  
"No, not really. I was going to set the table. I can do that at least." Asha turned around and went back to the guest room to change.  
  
*****  
  
Logan was left alone with his thoughts once more. Here he was, cooking dinner for a beautiful woman who seemed to want to screw him blind and he was both terrified and intrigued by the prospect. He missed Max so much; he'd spent most of a month brooding up on the Space Needle, trying to grieve for her. He couldn't. Something, a voice inside his head, kept telling him that she wasn't dead, that she'd be back. He couldn't shake the feeling, so he still didn't have closure.  
  
On the night when he and Max had finally gotten together, when they were on the living room floor, kissing and caressing each other, before Zack, in a masterstroke of bad timing had interrupted them, he had hoped to consummate their relationship somehow. He wasn't sure what they would have done, only that they would have taken it to a new level. So he was left hanging, his hopes dashed and his fears unresolved.  
  
Now he was surprised at the reaction Asha was eliciting in him. She couldn't possibly know what he was feeling, and he wasn't about to tell her. He hadn't been able to feel anything for so long. All of him, not just his legs, had felt numb since Max had died. He couldn't sleep; nearly every night, he dreamed about Max, dying in his arms and he unable to save her, unable to tell her how he felt. No, Asha could never understand. 


	3. Sleepless in Seattle, Chapter Three

Chapter Three  
  
His thoughts were mercifully interrupted by Asha's return. She was now clad in tight jeans and a lavender sweater. Her feet were bare. Her pale hair curled damply, framing her pert face. She was so different from Max - taller, but as slender, with delicate features: the all-American girl without an ounce of the exotic about her.  
  
"Dinner's almost ready if you want to set the table. The dishes are in that cabinet." He indicated the lower one to the right of the sink. "Silverware's in the drawer above it."  
  
Asha bent down to get the plates. "I like the way you've got everything arranged here. Very convenient. I always hated cabinets that you had to climb a ladder to reach."  
  
"Yeah, I had to have the kitchen redesigned after I came back from the hospital. Couldn't reach anything anymore and hated the thought of having some one else do for me."  
  
"Well, you always were stubbornly self-sufficient," Asha replied, as she finished setting the table.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so, and now more than ever," he admitted. "Well, everything's ready. Let's eat."  
  
He served pasta with a homemade sauce, and a salad. He had a bottle of Chianti already open in the fridge, so that came out too.  
  
They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes, concentrating on their food. Finally, Asha spoke up.  
  
"Logan, this is delicious. I hadn't realized how much I missed your cooking. Well, so far, I've missed your cooking, your hot shower, your comfortable apartment. What else? Oh, yes. I've missed you - a hell of a lot. What happened? Why did we lose touch?"  
  
"I don't know. I guess I got wrapped up in my work. Max accused me several times of being obsessed."  
  
"Max?"  
  
"A girl I was involved with. She died."  
  
"I'm sorry, Logan." It was obvious to Asha that he didn't want to talk about her.  
  
"Anyway, I lost track of you and others. Then after I got shot, I didn't want to see anyone who knew me - before."  
  
"For heaven's sake, Logan! Why not?"  
  
He looked down, contemplating his next words. Then he took a sip of wine. "I saw the way you looked at me when I opened the door. I couldn't handle the same reaction from everyone."  
  
"Logan, I wouldn't have looked at you like that if I had known what was going on. You have to admit it was a bit of a shock. The last time I saw you, you were fine. You never said anything over the phone or in e-mails. If you had, I would have been prepared and I wouldn't have been so - surprised. You and your stubborn pride again."  
  
"So, you don't feel sorry for me?" Logan asked suspiciously.  
  
"Why should I feel sorry for you? You seem to be dealing with it. What I feel sorry about is that you're so proud and stubborn that you wouldn't tell your friends what happened. You've had a year to let us in on it, and you haven't bothered. I'd kick your ass, but you couldn't feel it, so it wouldn't do any good." Asha stabbed at her pasta to emphasize her words.  
  
"Point taken. I'm sorry. It's been a hellacious year and just when I thought things were straightening out, it all went sideways." Logan thought about the raid on the Manticore DNA lab and how, just when they all thought it had succeeded, Zack had been shot and taken prisoner and Max had been killed. And he had been left to pick up the pieces of his life for the second time in a year. "I - I've kind of been left to my own devices for the past couple of months, and apparently I haven't done a very good job of it."  
  
"Well, I'm here and the guys from the S1W are here, so you've got help now. With whatever you need."  
  
"Thanks. I appreciate the support. We'll see this mission through."  
  
"That we will. Now what about you?" Asha looked concerned once more. "We're here for Eyes Only, but I'm here for you if you need me."  
  
"Thanks. I'm OK."  
  
"Well, if you're ever not OK, I'm here. We had something going back in San Francisco, and even if we're no longer involved like that, I'm still your friend. I think you need a friend or two."  
  
"Yeah, you're probably right," Logan admitted. "More wine?"  
  
"God, if I have any more wine, I won't be responsible for what happens next." Asha smiled and handed him her glass for a refill. Logan slid a sideways glance at her, then smiled himself.  
  
They finished dinner and cleared the table. Logan insisted that Asha leave the dishes and that he'd clean up everything later.  
  
"Why don't we take the rest of the Chianti and settle in the living room? It'll be more comfortable," he suggested.  
  
"Fine with me. Your sofa's comfortable and the view is wonderful."  
  
"I know. I bought the place partly for the view."  
  
Logan took the bottle of wine and his glass into the living room and placed them on the coffee table. He sat down on the sofa. Asha sat down next to him, curling up on the cushion, her bare feet under her. Logan looked surprised that she was sitting so close to him.  
  
"What?" Asha stared back at him. "I don't bite, you know. Unless you want me to, that is."  
  
"Nah, I just haven't had anyone sit that close in a while."  
  
"I can move if it makes you uncomfortable."  
  
"No, that's OK. It - it feels kind of nice in fact. Like back in the day," Logan admitted.  
  
"Good," Asha replied. "I think we have a lot of catching up to do."  
  
"OK. You start," Logan suggested, hoping he could get out of telling her what he'd been doing for the past four years. No matter how close they had been in the past, he was reluctant to let more people in on his Eyes Only identity. Asha's life was dangerous and complicated enough without him adding to that. And he wasn't sure he wanted to tell her about Max either.  
  
"Well, I finished my journalism degree and took a job at the Freep. Editorial pages. During the course of one investigation, I ran into some members of the S1W. I joined the group, but I continued to write editorials for the paper. We got a little too high profile and soon attracted the attention of San Francisco's finest. They were so eager to pin any little ah, transgression, on us that I felt that I was fighting the war on two fronts. We were trying to bring down the bad guys while trying to keep the cops from bringing us down. Sometimes it got pretty hairy." Asha took a sip of wine.  
  
"Any romantic interests?" Logan asked.  
  
"Who has time?" Asha laughed. "I'm having a hard enough time making bail much less making whoopee!"  
  
"Still writing for the Freep?"  
  
"No, finally gave that up. S1W was taking up too much of my time. But I gotta tell you, it had its own rewards. We took down a drug operation run by a city councilman and broke the story of police bribery at high levels. Nothing quite as earthshaking as what Eyes Only does, but satisfying in its own small way."  
  
"That's great. You should be proud."  
  
"Oh, I am. And proud to be part of Eyes Only's informant network. So, enough of me. What about you? How did you get hooked up with Eyes Only?"  
  
"Similar to you," Logan lied. "I was working on a big story with Nathan Herrero - you remember him?"  
  
"Oh, yes, your mentor."  
  
"Anyway, he disappeared in the midst of a big investigation. Rumor was that some one in Mayor Beltran's administration disappeared him. About that time, Eyes Only began broadcasting. I managed to get in touch and became one of his informants. Eventually we took Allan Lans down just as he was running for Police Commissioner. I've been involved with the network ever since. You pretty much know the rest."  
  
"Is that how you got hurt? Working for Eyes Only?"  
  
"Yeah," Logan admitted, reluctant to talk about himself, but knowing that Asha would not give up until she got the information out of him. She had been an investigative reporter, after all. "Big case involving Edgar Sonrisa, the Mayor, and a bunch of other major bad guys."  
  
"I remember hearing about that one. But Eyes Only got his man, didn't he?"  
  
"Yes, he did. I was pretty much out of the loop, being in the hospital, then rehab, at the time."  
  
"Damn, I wish you had called me. I would have been there for you."  
  
"I - I didn't want to see or talk to anybody. Especially when I first got out of the hospital. I needed to be by myself. Fight my own battles."  
  
"Well, you always were the lone warrior, as I remember. I'm just sorry you had to go through it by yourself, even if you wanted it that way."  
  
"It was better - that way. Really. You didn't want to see me last spring or summer. It wasn't pretty," Logan admitted.  
  
"I'm sure it wasn't and you weren't. You've always been a cranky patient. When you had the flu, I honestly wanted to kill you. You don't do sick very well."  
  
"Well, I haven't improved in that respect. More wine?"  
  
"Sure, why not? I'm not driving tonight." Asha giggled. "You seem to be OK now."  
  
"I'm coping. It's taken a while, but I think I'll be all right."  
  
"I'm sure you will. You always land on your feet, so to speak."  
  
"Yeah," Logan laughed ruefully. "Except that now I couldn't feel it if I did."  
  
Asha shifted closer to Logan. He did not move away. 


	4. Sleepless in Seattle, Chapter Four

Chapter Four  
  
They sat and talked, drinking wine, for several hours. Finally, Asha yawned.  
  
"Too much wine. If I don't go to bed, I'll fall on my nose on your very comfortable couch."  
  
"I'd pay money to see that," Logan said, smiling. "I'm not sleepy. I think I'll fire up the computer and get some work done. Let me know if there's anything you need."  
  
"OK. See you in the morning." Asha uncurled from the couch and stood up a bit unsteadily. Then she leaned over and kissed Logan gently on the cheek. "Good night."  
  
Logan sat there until she had disappeared down the hall. Then he slowly got up and walked over to his computers. He turned on the array and sat back down in front of them. When everything was up and running, he resumed his search for Manticore. The headquarters had to have relocated somewhere, but so far he hadn't been able to find the location.  
  
An hour later, he realized that his concentration was shot. He exited the programs and shut the system down. Then as he had done for days after Max died, he sat and stared out the window, thinking of nothing, numb once again.  
  
*****  
  
Asha found him there the next morning. Noticing that he was still wearing the same clothes from the day before, she assumed that he hadn't been to bed at all. Silently, she tiptoed into the kitchen. The dishes were still piled in the sink, unwashed. It was obvious that he had been sitting at the window all night.  
  
"Logan?" she whispered so as not to startle him. There was no response. "Logan?"  
  
She didn't know whether he was asleep or not, so she began to rinse the dishes and clean up the kitchen. While she tried to be as quiet as she could, the clinking of the silverware finally elicited a response from the still figure at the window.  
  
"I said I'd clean up the kitchen," he said in a monotone.  
  
"Oh, you're awake. Shall I make some coffee?"  
  
Logan slowly and carefully got up and walked into the kitchen. "That's OK. I'll do it," he said, bending over to retrieve the can of coffee from a cabinet beside the sink.  
  
"Good Lord, I can make coffee, you know. You should go to bed. You look like you're about to fall over."  
  
"Couldn't sleep last night."  
  
"Lot of that going around lately," Asha replied with a knowing smile on her face.  
  
He puttered around in the kitchen for a few minutes, setting up the coffeemaker and rinsing the dishes, while Asha sat on one of the high stools at the counter. She watched him intently. He looked so tired. He was moving very deliberately and carefully in the exoskeleton like it was the only thing holding him upright.  
  
She decided that he needed some space, so she made an excuse to leave. "I've got to check up on the others, Logan, to see how the preparations are coming along. Do you need anything? Like at the market? I can run some errands if you like."  
  
"I don't think I need anything, but thanks. When you get back, I should have made some more progress locating the DoD files."  
  
"OK. Well, I'll catch you later. Get some sleep." Asha grabbed her backpack and headed for the door.  
  
"Yes, Mom."  
  
***** When she got down to street level, Asha decided that she would walk to the safe house, rather than queue up for the bus. She needed to clear her head. She couldn't shake the surreal feeling she'd been experiencing since meeting up with Logan the day before.  
  
She wasn't sure why Logan had requested the S1W's participation in the Manticore project he had explained to her. Anyone could do the record retrieval he required. Oh, well, at least it got them out of San Francisco for a while so the heat could die down, and that was a good thing. She couldn't quite bring herself to think that maybe he asked for the S1W because he wanted to see her. Too much time had passed since the last time they had been together. Logan had left San Francisco, gotten married, gotten divorced, gotten shot..  
  
But God, he was sexier than ever, wheelchair or no wheelchair. He seemed sad and vulnerable to her too, and she found that oddly attractive. How sick was that? Asha shook off the thought as she trudged down the street toward the safe house. Her people needed to know what was happening and she needed a clear head to explain the mission to them. The air was crisp and cooler than she was used to in San Francisco and she inhaled deeply. It felt good to walk. It felt good to be able to walk.  
  
When she reached the house, she knocked on the door and was greeted by one of the S1W members who held out a cup of coffee to her. "Here, you look like you need this. Come on in," he said. As she entered the dilapidated house, he asked, "So, did you find out why we're here?"  
  
"Yeah. I'll tell everyone about it. Round them up."  
  
Asha found a seat in the dim living room and waited for the rest of them to assemble. She looked around. The place was shabby, but clean, plainly furnished. Anonymous. She understood that Eyes Only had safe houses and contact rooms scattered all over Seattle.  
  
The other S1W members entered the living room and sat down on whatever they could find. Asha was the only female there. John, Lee, Bill, and Pete, as they were called (and who knew if those were their real names?) leaned forward, waiting for her to speak.  
  
"OK, here's the DL, guys. Eyes Only is going after a covert government operation called Project Manticore. It uses tax dollars to develop genetically enhanced soldiers. The kids are ruthlessly trained, tortured, even killed. A dozen of them escaped in '09 and have been fighting to stay free from Manticore since then. Some have been captured and 'reprogrammed.' Some of them went after Manticore a few months ago and sabotaged the DNA lab. Several were captured or killed. Anyway, apparently Manticore has consolidated its operations and Eyes Only is trying to find the location. It needs to be taken down once and for all."  
  
"So, where do we come in?" Lee asked.  
  
"Eyes Only needs to find Department of Defense records that may indicate where Manticore has relocated or what it's disguised as. There may be a paper trail and if there is, he needs to find it. Logan Cale will do computer searches and hack into the DoD files if he can, but the records may not be online anywhere. Hence, he may need a little assistance from us."  
  
"So, why us? This is the first time your guy has asked for our help up close and personal here in Seattle. What happened to his operatives here?" John asked.  
  
"Um, well, Logan, his main operative here, got shot last year and was paralyzed. I just found out yesterday when I went to meet with him. He's in a wheelchair now, so obviously, he can't do his own legwork anymore. That's why we're here. To help him out."  
  
"Sorry about your friend, Asha," Lee said. "Tell him we'll do our best."  
  
"Thanks. I will. There may be more as the mission progresses, but right now, that's all I've got. Any questions?"  
  
No one had any questions yet. So they all just sat around drinking coffee and eating doughnuts and talking. They had settled in and were finding their way around the city. Asha informed them that she was staying at Logan's and took some good-natured ribbing from them over that.  
  
When she left the safe house, she felt better. She continued her walk back to Fogle Towers. The surreal feeling had passed, only to be replaced by one of sadness. She entered the small park she had viewed from Logan's living room window the day before, and found a bench. As she sat down, she looked around the place, an oasis of beauty amid the squalor of downtown Seattle. The trees were green, children played on the swings, teenagers shot hoops. She wondered if Logan ever came here to escape the mundane ugliness of post- Pulse life. Then, she wondered how difficult it would have been for him to navigate the uneven, narrow gravel paths in the wheelchair. Her composure undone, Asha began to cry.  
  
Poor broken Logan. She could never admit it to him of course, but she did feel sorry for him. The sadness in his eyes cut her to her soul. She didn't know if the cause of his sadness was his inability to walk without the exoskeleton, or something else, but whatever it was, it hurt her too. She remembered his dynamism and his idealism. Working with him had been such a joy; his enthusiasm had been contagious. She had learned so much from him.  
  
Now he seemed obsessed rather than enthusiastic and she wondered where the obsession came from. When he had spoken of Manticore and had pulled up the information about it on his computer, the sadness in his eyes had been replaced with an almost mad gleam that frightened her. When she had briefed the other S1W members, the fear had returned. She sensed both danger and madness in the mission. And when she had to tell them about Logan, she had wanted to cry. Well, here she was, with tears running down her face. She had to stop this and calm down. She had to dry her tears and act as if everything was fine. For Logan.  
  
*****  
  
Logan finished his cup of coffee and headed for the bedroom. He really needed to sleep. As long as Asha was out, maybe he could catch up on some shuteye. A nap would be nice.  
  
He sat on the bed and stripped off his clothes. Then he clambered out of the exoskeleton and lay down. Exhausted, he closed his eyes and hoped for sleep. But, once again, Max's image floated behind his eyes: dancing with him in a dream, sharing a glass of wine, reading his poem, kissing him the night before the raid on Manticore when the exoskeleton shorted out and dumped him onto the floor, and finally, dying in his arms. His eyes snapped open.  
  
He lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He had to get some sleep. Maybe he should call Sam Carr and get a prescription for sleeping pills. Maybe that would help. He picked up the phone to dial the doctor's number.  
  
*****  
  
Just before noon, the buzzer sounded, indicating that some one was in the lobby and wanted to come up. Logan sat up stiffly and shook off the groggy feeling. He transferred to the wheelchair and rolled over to the dresser to find some clean clothes.  
  
A few minutes later, clad in a tee shirt and sweatpants, he answered the buzzer. It was the delivery from the pharmacy - Sam had come through with the sleeping pills. Logan paid the messenger and eagerly took the package. Maybe tonight he would finally get some sleep. In the meantime, Manticore beckoned, and if a nap wasn't an option, at least a hot shower would help.  
  
*****  
  
Later that day, when Asha entered Logan's apartment, she found him at his computers, still trying to break into Manticore's records. She saw that he was back in the wheelchair. A small knot developed in the pit of her stomach, but she swallowed hard and walked over to him.  
  
"How's it going?" she asked, as cheerfully as possible.  
  
"Getting there. If I live long enough, I may just crack this damn thing," he replied wearily.  
  
"I have faith in your hacking skills. You've always come through."  
  
"How did your meeting go?"  
  
"Pretty well. The guys are good to go whenever we get the word. Have you heard any more from Eyes Only?"  
  
"- No. Not yet. Should be hearing from him soon," Logan lied. He realized that Asha was standing behind him, leaning over him to look at the computer screen. He could feel her warm breath on his neck: it was disconcerting. He closed his eyes for a second. At least he was feeling something. Maybe his emotional numbness was subsiding. Maybe that was a good thing.  
  
"OK."  
  
"-Are you hungry?" Logan felt that he needed a distraction. Cooking would probably be a good one.  
  
"Hadn't thought about it. I guess I could eat something. What do you have in mind?"  
  
"I don't know. Maybe a salad."  
  
"That sounds good. Can I do anything to help?"  
  
"Nope," Logan said as he shut down the computer. "Just relax."  
  
Asha stepped aside as Logan backed the chair away from the desk and wheeled himself quickly into the kitchen. She watched him as he deftly maneuvered the wheelchair around the counters and tables, assembling ingredients, chopping vegetables, fetching plates and silverware. There was a certain balletic grace about the way he moved, almost like he was dancing on wheels.  
  
She shouldn't have been having the thoughts she was having.  
  
"Logan, I need a drink! Is there any of that wine left? "  
  
"We, ah, killed the bottle last night? Will a beer do?" He opened the refrigerator.  
  
"Yes, anything." Asha went into the kitchen and took the bottle from Logan. He was reaching for a glass, but she stopped him. "Bottle's fine."  
  
"Food'll be ready in a minute. Have a seat."  
  
"Let me at least carry the plates to the table."  
  
Logan started to protest, but Asha had already picked up the plates and carried them to the dining room table. She knew he didn't like any help, but she didn't consider taking a couple of plates to the table 'help.' He would just have to deal with it. She smiled at him.  
  
"Logan, don't be a pain in the ass. I would do this even if you could walk. Just trying to make myself useful."  
  
"Point taken." Logan grumbled under his breath a bit as he made his way into the dining room and situated himself at the table.  
  
They ate in semi-awkward silence for a few minutes. Asha realized that Logan was trying not to sulk, so she attempted some light conversation.  
  
"This is delicious. Where do you find fresh vegetables around here?"  
  
"There's a market not far from here. I shop there three or four times a week to get fresh produce. I know the guy who runs the stand, so sometimes he calls me if he has something special."  
  
"That's terrific. It's good to have friends like that. It looks like things are beginning to improve around here, then."  
  
Reluctantly, Logan found himself drawn into conversation. Asha was in full journalist mode and knew just what questions to ask him. She kept them as impersonal as possible, yet gleaned pertinent information from him. She mentally filed away the location of the market; his preferences in fruits and vegetables; and the name of the vendors whose stalls he frequented. Tomorrow she would visit there and treat him to some fresh berries. Maybe he wouldn't be so cranky then.  
  
After dinner, Logan cleaned up and let Asha help with the dishes. He knew when to beat a strategic retreat; Asha could probably out-stubborn him.  
  
*****  
  
It was just getting dark when Logan decided to turn in. His insomnia was beginning to take its toll, so he figured a good night's sleep would be just the thing. He figured he'd pop one of Sam's pills and drift off into peaceful oblivion for a few hours.  
  
"It's been a long day. I'm beat," he said, heading toward his bedroom.  
  
"OK. I'm just going to sit here and read a while. This report from Manticore that you printed out is fascinating. Who knew any of this was happening."  
  
"Well don't let it keep you awake too late. Tomorrow could be a big day if some of my information pans out. Catch you in the morning."  
  
"'Night."  
  
Asha watched as the door closed behind Logan. She kicked off her boots and stretched out on the couch to get comfortable. The Manticore report was weighty, in more ways than one, and she wanted to absorb as much information as possible about the project. After the mission was over, maybe she would write an article or a book about it, she thought.  
  
But her eyes began to droop and in a short while, she was asleep.  
  
*****  
  
Logan undressed and transferred to the bed. He had taken a sleeping pill a few minutes earlier and as he lay down, he silently prayed that it would kick in quickly. Once again, he stared at the ceiling and hoped. He didn't know how many more sleepless nights his body could take. Maybe if he closed his eyes.  
  
*****  
  
Asha was awakened by a shout from Logan's bedroom. She sat bolt upright on the couch, all her senses on high alert. Another shout. It sounded like "no!" Quietly, she reached down and grabbed her backpack, on the floor, next to the couch. She retrieved her gun and chambered a round. As silently as a cat, she got up from the couch and tiptoed over to Logan's room.  
  
He cried out again. Asha couldn't quite make out the words, but the tone was one of extreme distress. She put her hand on the doorknob and turned it, relieved that the door wasn't locked. She slowly pushed the door open, wary of any intruder she might find. There was a dim glow from a lamp on the nightstand.  
  
She entered Logan's room, looking around carefully. There was no intruder, only Logan, sound asleep, but obviously in the throes of a terrible nightmare. His eyes were open, yet unseeing; he continued to cry out. His shoulders rocked from side to side as his body tried to thrash.  
  
Asha unchambered the round and put the gun down on the dresser. "Logan?" she whispered. There was no response.  
  
"Logan!" Louder. Still no response. She crept closer to the bed. She didn't want to wake him abruptly and frighten him or cause him to hurt himself. It didn't look like he would awaken easily. Probably took something to help him sleep, she thought. Then she spotted the bottle of pills on the nightstand.  
  
Logan's distress continued. Asha had seen him like this only once before, when one of his articles had led to a child being injured in some crossfire and he had blamed himself. Back then, she had held him and comforted him, even as he slept. It was worth a shot, she figured.  
  
She quietly climbed into bed beside him and lay down. When he stopped moving, she took him in her arms. Close up, she could see his tear-streaked face. Whatever caused this must have been pretty traumatic, she thought. She held him close to her, his cheek against her chest. He quieted down.  
  
In a few minutes, he was sleeping peacefully. 


	5. Sleepless in Seattle, Chapter Five

A/N: The story starts to intersect with Designate This now, so if situations or dialogue sound familiar, that's why.  
  
Chapter Five  
  
Logan gradually came back to consciousness, feeling more rested than he had in weeks. Half awake and eyes still closed, he realized that some one lay next to him, arms around him, head snuggled against his chest. He reached over to stoke her hair, murmuring sleepily. His Max had returned to him. Somehow, she wasn't dead; she was here next to him.  
  
But her hair was short and fine, not long and thick. Reluctantly, Logan opened his eyes. Asha, not Max, lay beside him. She stretched like a cat and mumbled his name. Reality seeped in and Logan sadly closed his eyes again. He would have to ask her what was going on when she woke up.  
  
Still, it felt good to have a warm female body in his bed. He didn't realize how much he had missed that. Sighing, he slid toward the edge of the bed, carefully so as not to wake her. He transferred to the chair, grabbed a change of clothing, and headed toward the bathroom.  
  
*****  
  
By the time Asha got up, Logan had been working away at his computer for several hours. One of his contacts had come through, and he now knew where to find the hidden Manticore files. As he had suspected, what he had been looking for wasn't online anywhere; it was buried in boxes of paper at a Veterans' Administration office somewhere in Seattle. Now, all he had to do was find the right office, then find the right box of papers. Not as hard as a needle in a haystack, but right up there. It was time to do an Eyes Only hack and get the ball rolling.  
  
Asha shuffled into the computer room, yawning.  
  
"Good morning. Is it still morning?" she said sleepily.  
  
"Yeah, still morning," Logan replied, a question in his voice that Asha didn't pick up on.  
  
"Is there any coffee? I feel like I've been beaten."  
  
Logan cocked an eyebrow at that remark. "Yeah, in the coffeemaker on the counter. Um, Asha.?"  
  
Asha went to the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee. Carefully carrying it, she went into the computer room & sat on the chair across from where Logan was working. After a few sips, she seemed awake enough to answer his unspoken question.  
  
"What? Oh, you woke me up in the middle of the night. You were shouting. I went in to check on you, thinking some one had broken in. You were having a hell of a nightmare - "  
  
Logan blinked at her, then hung his head.  
  
"I couldn't wake you up. Believe me, I tried. Then I remembered when you had nightmares over that kid who had been shot in the gang crossfire, I slept next to you and held you. So that's what I did last night. It must have helped because you stopped thrashing around and slept soundly."  
  
"Thanks, Asha," Logan said softly. "I haven't been sleeping well lately."  
  
"I figured that when I saw the bottle of sleeping pills on the nightstand. Want to talk about what's bothering you?"  
  
Logan did not reply.  
  
"Didn't think so. You never do. So, to change the subject, how's the research coming?"  
  
"Very well. My contact in the Department of Defense came through. The files I need are at a VA office here in Seattle. I just need to narrow down the search to a particular office. Then Eyes Only can start to apply the pressure. Shouldn't take me very long."  
  
"Great. Sounds like a plan."  
  
"So I think we should get the rest of your S1W guys together and brainstorm. I've got some ideas on how to get to those files, but I'd like to hear what you guys have to say."  
  
"Should I assemble the troops here?"  
  
"If you don't mind. It will be easier," Logan admitted.  
  
"Not a problem. When do you want them?"  
  
Logan looked at his watch. "How about 3 PM? That should give me plenty of time to narrow down the search."  
  
"OK. I'll make sure everyone is here."  
  
"You want to take my car to pick them up? Or did you all drive up?"  
  
"We took a bus. It was easier to disappear into the crowd if we needed to. I'd appreciate the loan of your car."  
  
"Fine. As long as you can figure out the hand controls."  
  
"Logan, you know damn well that I can drive anything with wheels! Shouldn't be a problem. Now, I want to throw myself into the shower. May as well take advantage of the hot water."  
  
*****  
  
As Asha walked out the door of his apartment, Logan handed her his car keys. "It's the blue-gray Aztek, Level 1. See you later."  
  
"Thanks, Logan, catch you at three."  
  
Logan waited a few minutes, then wheeled back into the computer room. He set up all the equipment he needed for an Eyes Only hack, took off his glasses, and hit the switch.  
  
"Do not attempt to adjust your set. This is a streaming freedom video bulletin. The cable hack will last exactly sixty seconds. It cannot be traced, it cannot be stopped, and it is the only free voice left in this city. Since the early 1990s, billions of your tax dollars have been diverted from legitimate government programs to fund secret experiments in genetic engineering."  
  
Logan fought back the tears as he described the Manticore project. He hoped that his voice didn't seem to be breaking: it wouldn't be appropriate for Eyes Only to lose it in public.  
  
"This covert operation is known as Project Manticore. Its goal: to create the perfect soldier, genetically enhanced for superior strength and speed. These children are subjected to relentless training and propaganda. In the winter of 2009, twelve of them escaped from a facility in Gillette, Wyoming. Some of them were captured; some of them were tortured; some gave their lives fighting to stay free. Since these cable hacks began, Manticore has consolidated its operations to a secret location. Eyes Only will find it, and the people responsible for these crimes will be brought to justice. This has been a streaming freedom video bulletin."  
  
Logan ended the hack and wheeled over to his computer. He put his glasses back on and brought up a shot from the surveillance video he had made during the raid on Manticore, a shot of Max, looking directly at the camera. He enlarged the picture and touched the screen as if he were stroking her cheek. This time he didn't fight the tears.  
  
*****  
  
Asha was back, promptly at three o'clock. By then, Logan had narrowed the records search to two different VA offices. By the time they were ready to move on it, Logan was confident that he would have the right office targeted.  
  
Asha introduced the rest of the S1W contingent to Logan. She curled up on the couch, between Pete and Lee. John and Bill occupied the chairs on either side of the couch. Logan had situated his wheelchair in front of the couch, on the other side of the coffee table, on which he had spread out blueprints of the two VA offices.  
  
"The old records are in boxes, locked up in cages. I haven't been able to determine if they are in any order, or just stacked any which way. Maybe a couple of you can reconnoiter ahead of time to find out. That way, when we get there, we won't have to waste time looking around. We'll know where to go."  
  
"We?" Asha looked at Logan. "Are you going to be personally involved in this?"  
  
"Yes, I am."  
  
"-How? I mean - ?" Lee blurted out, gesturing toward the wheelchair. Asha shot him a dirty look.  
  
"Well, who better to get a look at the files than a disgruntled disabled vet unable to get his ration card?" Logan smiled mischievously.  
  
"Logan, you're brilliant!" Asha clapped her hands. "But just in case subtlety doesn't work on bureaucrats, how about a Plan B?"  
  
"Of course. I always like to have a Plan B in case something goes sideways. What do you have in mind?"  
  
"Don't know yet, but I'll think of something. Just in case they don't buy your ploy, maybe we should let the vets know who we are and that we're there for them. Then let nature take its course. We could probably get into the file room in the midst of the chaos."  
  
"OK. I'll need more details, but it sounds like a plan," Logan said. "Great. We should be good to go in a day or two."  
  
"I hope Eyes Only will be pleased."  
  
"Oh, I think he will."  
  
They brainstormed for an hour or so, until they had a solid Plan A and Plan B. Logan was pleased with the progress they had made in such a short time. Asha was happy that he seemed less depressed. In fact, he had been animated, excited, and very much "up." Now that the culmination of their plans was approaching, he appeared to have found a reason to snap out of whatever mood he had been in that he hadn't wanted to talk about.  
  
*****  
  
But as soon as Asha and the rest of the S1W activists left, Logan was back at the computer, staring at the surveillance picture of Max. He continued to check his mail and delve into whatever records he could find, but every now and then, he would return to the picture and sigh.  
  
He heard the door open and Asha's voice greet him, so he hurriedly closed the file and wheeled around to meet her.  
  
"Logan, the guys are so excited. And they all think you're brilliant. I've talked about you for so long, and they finally got a chance to meet you and find out that I wasn't just shining them." Impulsively, she leaned over and hugged him. Taken aback, Logan was rooted in place.  
  
"Have I ever told you how wonderful you are?" She kissed him on the cheek, breathing in his ear. Hot tears rose in his eyes.  
  
"No, I don't think you ever have," he managed to blurt out.  
  
"Well, let me take this occasion to tell you. Logan, you're wonderful. Now, we should get this place cleaned up. It's a mess. It'll distract us for a while."  
  
Logan looked around and had to admit to himself that Asha was right. He had neglected the apartment for too long, lost in his grief. Papers had been piling up on his desk and various tables, and threatened to topple over onto the floor; he hadn't done laundry in weeks. The place was dusty too. Only the kitchen was spotless.  
  
"Where's your cleaning stuff?"  
  
"Uh, under the sink. Here, let me show you."  
  
They spent a couple of hours cleaning the apartment and shredding documents that were no longer needed. Then Logan went back to the computer to see if he could find out which of the two VA offices held the records he sought. That kept him occupied until late that evening, when he decided that he had enough evidence to determine the right office. Some of the S1W guys could do reconnaissance tomorrow. The day after that, they would all descend on the office and retrieve the files. He was looking forward to it; he had been too long out of the action.  
  
Then he could destroy Manticore and vindicate Max. That was all he wanted to do with his life now. It didn't matter what happened to him any more. All that mattered was that Manticore would never be able to do to anyone else what it had done to Max - and to Brin, Tinga, Eva, and the others he didn't know about. For now, that was good enough for him.  
  
Sighing, he logged out and shut down. Asha looked up from the magazine she'd been reading. She uncurled from the couch.  
  
"Calling it a day?"  
  
"Yeah, I found what I was looking for. We're good to go. If you get your guys to check the place out tomorrow, we can get the show on the road."  
  
"Great, I'll get on it first thing in the morning. You should get some sleep."  
  
"I'm gonna try," Logan said ruefully.  
  
"You want me to - ?"  
  
"Let me see what happens. If you hear me yelling again tonight, you know what to do." He smiled sadly, wheeling past her toward the bedroom." "OK. Next time I won't come in with guns blazing. Get a good night's sleep."  
  
*****  
  
But once again, Logan's sleep was plagued by nightmares. Max, dying in his arms, trying to tell him something. Lydecker butt-stroking him to get him out of the woods and back to safety. His nights sitting and staring into space, then the climbs up to the top of the Space Needle. It all came rushing back to him. He wasn't sure what was worse - the inability to sleep, or when he did get to sleep, the horrible visions that bedeviled him.  
  
He opened his eyes in a panic, not quite certain where he was. Then a gentle hand stroked his hair and kissed his cheek. A voice whispered his name.  
  
"Logan, it's OK. I'm here. Go back to sleep." Asha climbed into bed next to him.  
  
The warmth of her body soothed him and he closed his eyes again.  
  
Asha lay there in the dark next to Logan, sadly wondering about the source of his nightmares and wishing that he would confide in her. Tentatively, she put an arm around him. Asleep now, he pulled her closer and nuzzled her face. His ever-present stubble tickled, and she smiled at him, wishing they could take up where they had left off. Maybe after they completed their mission at the VA, she thought. Yes, maybe then.  
  
She fell asleep with a smile on her face. 


	6. Sleepless in Seattle, Chapter Six

Summary: The raid on the VA office approaches; Logan confuses Asha.  
  
Chapter Six  
  
The next morning, they both awoke early, rested and eager to complete the reconnaissance of the VA office. If all went well, the raid would take place the next day. Asha headed for the shower, while Logan wheeled into the kitchen to fix breakfast. He figured he'd grab a shower after she left to make final preparations with the S1W.  
  
By the time Asha strolled into the kitchen, Logan had prepared omelets, sausage, toast, and a pot of coffee.  
  
"Hey, smells wonderful," she said, toweling her hair dry.  
  
"Well, eat up. Today will be a busy day."  
  
"And tomorrow will be even busier," Asha added as she took the plates over to the table. Logan brought the silverware, while Asha went back to the kitchen to get the coffee. They sat in silence for a few minutes, savoring the food and inhaling the coffee fumes.  
  
"I'll be off in a few minutes to get the guys up to speed on final preparations. Anything you need?"  
  
"I'm OK. Just glad this is finally going down. I just hope that what I'm looking for is in that office, because if it's not, then I don't have a clue where it would be."  
  
"Yeah, and that wouldn't make Eyes Only happy - having to start over again from scratch."  
  
"Well, I guess we'll find out tomorrow," Logan commented, sipping his coffee.  
  
"Yeah, I guess."  
  
*****  
  
Once again, Asha took Logan's car and drove to the safe house to meet with her crew. The guys were antsy, pacing back and forth, finding the waiting difficult. When Asha entered the house, they rushed to meet her, hoping that something was going down at last.  
  
"OK guys, here's what's happening," she said by way of greeting. She went over to the dining room table and cleared most of the cups and doughnut and pizza boxes away with a sweep of her arm. She spread out the blueprint of the VA office.  
  
"Logan finally pinpointed which office has the files. I know you've seen this before, but I just want to refresh your memories. We'll do the recon today so we can move on it tomorrow."  
  
She pointed at a small room toward the back of the facility. "Here's the cage with the file boxes. It's locked, but we can work around that for now. If Logan can't get them to open it tomorrow, we'll have to either pick the lock or find the key. Today, I just want to know if those boxes are arranged in any order or just randomly stacked. What kind of security does the place have? Will we need firearms and if so, how hard will it be to get them into the building? You know, the usual stuff." She smiled.  
  
"OK," Lee said. "This shouldn't be hard. Anything else?"  
  
"Not for today. But for tomorrow, I want one thing above all from you, no matter what happens."  
  
"Yeah, what's that?" John asked.  
  
"I want Logan protected." Asha turned and looked at them seriously. "He's putting himself in the line of fire on this mission. He's been through enough and I don't want anything to happen to him. OK?"  
  
They all nodded.  
  
Asha handed out the assignments. Synchronizing watches, they gathered what equipment they would need and headed out the door. They piled into the car, happy to be away from the cooped-up environment of the safe house.  
  
*****  
  
Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at their destination, a grimy, one- story shop front office with a dingy "Veterans Administration Office" sign on the door. Asha parked the car a half block away from the office. As they walked to it and split up to check out the front and back doors, Asha noted that the entrance was wide and flush with the sidewalk. There was no doorframe or anything else to obstruct the passage of a wheelchair.  
  
She surveyed the front of the building, checking out security (one fat, bored guy with a gun). There were bars on the windows, but that was SOP for first floor windows these days. She leaned against the wall, waiting for the others to complete the case job.  
  
A few minutes later, Pete, who had gone around the back, returned.  
  
"Nothing out of the ordinary. No guard at the back door. It's locked. The door's not very sturdy just in case we need to ah, break out."  
  
"Fine. I've got the front covered."  
  
The two of them lounged around, blending in with the rest of the shabby folk on the street.  
  
Inside, John and Bill strolled up to the guard and asked about the procedures for filing claims and requests for assistance.  
  
"Do I look like a clerk to you?" he asked with annoyance. "Take a number and have a seat," he added, nodding toward the waiting area filled with people exhibiting varying degrees of restlessness and frustration. They checked out the crowded office, noting the number of desks and chairs, where the hallways led, and possible escape routes.  
  
Lee casually eyed the locked cage full of boxes. He surreptitiously fingered the tiny spy camera in his shirt pocket, then palmed it. He moved as close as he dared to the cage and snapped a photo. Sidling up to the vacant desk next to it, he snapped a couple more, certain now that the boxes were arranged in some sort of order. One of the bored bureaucrats looked up at him.  
  
"Hey, you gotta take a number. Get in line, buddy."  
  
"Oh, sorry. Thanks. I will." Lee beat a retreat back to the waiting area. He lingered long enough to avoid suspicion. Bill nodded slightly to him, then left. Five long minutes later, John threw away his number and also left. Lee looked at his watch, then looked at the waiting room full of restless men. A new client walked in.  
  
"Here. You take it. I'm tired of waiting." Lee handed him his number and shouldered the door.  
  
Individually, the S1W members headed back to Logan's car.  
  
"Hey, how'd it go?" Asha asked.  
  
"Mission accomplished," they replied, one after the other.  
  
"Got photos of the boxes. Used the zoom, so we should be able to read the labels. They seem to be in chronological order. I'll need to get the film developed, but I'm sure that's the case."  
  
"Let's see if we can find a quickie photo developing place on the way to Logan's."  
  
*****  
  
Two hours later, photo diskette in hand, they headed to Fogle Towers. Asha suggested that they stop to pick up pizza on the way, an idea that was roundly applauded. Once underway again, they excitedly discussed the projected mission.  
  
A short time later, they pulled into the garage of the high rise and took the elevator up to the penthouse. Although Asha had a key to Logan's apartment, she decided to ring the doorbell, just in case he needed time to get himself together.  
  
But on the first ring, the door was pulled open. Logan, screwdriver between his teeth, ushered them in.  
  
"Mmph," he grunted as he wheeled backward. He took the screwdriver out of his mouth. "Sorry, just doing a little tune-up on the exoskeleton for tomorrow. It's kind of cranky and I don't want it shorting out on me."  
  
"Oh, I hadn't - I didn't - think - " Asha didn't know what to say.  
  
"Hey, come on in guys. Looks like you've brought dinner." Logan led the way into the dining room, then rolled into the kitchen to pick up dishes and silverware.  
  
"Ah, what do you people want to drink? I've got beer, some wine -" Logan looked into the refrigerator.  
  
"It's OK, Logan, we brought stuff to drink too. Our treat. It's even cold. So, come on back here and join us," John said.  
  
Grinning, Logan quickly spun around and headed back to the table. With an appetite he hadn't felt in weeks, he grabbed a slice of pepperoni and dug in.  
  
"Well, we've got the place all scoped out. Even got photos," Asha said eagerly. Lee pulled the photo diskette out of his pocket and handed it to Logan. "Got 'em blown up too."  
  
"Thanks, all of you. Eyes Only will really appreciate this. I appreciate this. Now, eat up. An army marches on its stomach," Logan said, then wondered where he had heard that before. A shiver went down his back when he recalled the circumstances.  
  
As they gobbled pizza and drank beer, they discussed the upcoming raid. Logan was excited to be in on the action after more than a year of what he considered inactivity. His escapade at Cape Haven notwithstanding, he was tired of literally sitting around handling the communications and the research. With the exoskeleton, it seemed now that he would be able to participate at a more physical level, do some of his own legwork, as it were.  
  
While he had to admit that the original reason for using it was to be on a more equal basis with Max, now that she was gone, maybe he could use it for more altruistic purposes. Otherwise, he reflected, there was not much purpose in having it around. He'd gotten used to doing the everyday tasks of life in the wheelchair, and he doubted that he'd visit the Space Needle again - he'd gotten that out of his system.  
  
He was jolted out of his thoughts by Asha asking a question.  
  
"So, when is this going down tomorrow?"  
  
"I figure that late in the afternoon maybe a half hour or hour before the office closes, the harried civil servants will probably be more harried, trying to get everyone processed. More distracted. That's when we should make our move," Logan explained.  
  
"Sounds good. Here's what we found out today."  
  
One by one they reported their findings. There was one guard, armed, bored, and apathetic. He wouldn't be a problem. In a worst-case scenario, he could be easily disarmed. There were no metal detectors; they could carry weapons. There were three processing clerks, none of whom were armed, who did most of the work. The place was easy to get in and out of and was wheelchair-accessible. They couldn't find out who had the key to the cage, but the lock could be shot off if need be. It wasn't very sophisticated or heavy-duty. All in all, it didn't look like a difficult or dangerous situation.  
  
Logan wheeled himself over to the computer and popped in the photo diskette. He brought up the pictures of the file cage and zoomed to the labels on the boxes. It was as Lee suspected - the boxes were stacked in chronological order. All he had to do was determine which box or boxes they needed. If he could gain access to the cage, he could do that fairly quickly.  
  
They determined that they would gather at the VA office at 3 PM the next day and put the plan into action. Logan would go in first, posing as a vet trying to get a ration card. The others would drift in behind him and wait for his signal. If he were able to get into the records cage, they would hold off on any other actions. If he couldn't access the records, they would then undertake Plan B.  
  
The guys cleaned up the dining room, dumping the pizza boxes and beer bottles in the trash bin. Asha then ushered them out of the apartment, leaving Logan to put the final touches on the plan.  
  
*****  
  
When she returned, it was nearly dark. She let herself into the penthouse, expecting to find Logan at his computers. Instead, she found him walking around the place, testing out the exoskeleton. She could hear the low whir of the gears as he moved. When he saw her, he stopped and put his foot up on a chair. He took a small wrench out of his pocket and applied it to a bolt at the ankle.  
  
"Gotta make sure it works," he said in explanation.  
  
"I didn't know you were using that tomorrow. I thought you were using the chair."  
  
"I am, but I'll wear the exoskeleton just in case. You never know if we're going to have to beat feet out of there and I want to be prepared. I can move pretty quickly in the chair, but if it's crowded or chaotic in there, I may not be able to get out in time."  
  
"Oh, OK. Just confused me there for a minute. I'm never quite sure what you're up to." Asha sat down on the couch, tired after all the activities of the day.  
  
"Want a glass of wine?" Logan asked. "It's been a long day for you."  
  
"What? Oh, sure. I'd like that. Thanks."  
  
Logan went into the kitchen and got the bottle of wine and two wine glasses. He put them on the coffee table and sat down next to Asha. "I'm afraid I'm out of the good pre-Pulse stuff, but this shouldn't be too bad."  
  
"I'm sure it's fine, Logan. You always drink good wine. I've never known you to buy rotgut."  
  
He poured the wine and handed her a glass, then poured one for himself. They both leaned back against the cushions, thinking about what would happen the next day. It felt so good to relax and let the tensions of planning the raid drain from them.  
  
*****  
  
Sitting there on the couch in Logan's living room, sipping wine almost like in the good old days of the Pacific Free Press, it was so easy to slip back into the intimate embraces they'd shared a few years ago. Logan felt so lonely without Max and he longed for a loving touch. Asha missed Logan more than she realized.  
  
She put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. He stroked her hair, tentatively at first, then when she sighed in contentment, with more assurance. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. She put her arms around him.  
  
They held each other close for a long time before Logan cupped Asha's chin in his hands and kissed her. She reciprocated, and soon they were deep in an embrace with her fingers tangled in his hair, kissing hungrily.  
  
Logan broke off the kiss abruptly. Confused, Asha couldn't help feeling she had done something wrong. She stared into Logan's eyes. The question in her eyes was obvious. The turmoil in his was more difficult to read: loneliness, need, grief. Grief? Asha wondered why there would be grief in his eyes.  
  
"Asha, I can't do this." Logan turned away from her.  
  
"Why, Logan? What's the matter?" She was puzzled, since as far as she was concerned, he had started the session.  
  
"Nothing. - I just can't."  
  
Exoskeleton whirring, he got up from the couch and walked away. Asha shut her eyes in frustration. A moment later, she heard his bedroom door shut. She shook her head and sighed; funny guy, Logan. She hoped he wouldn't have a nightmare tonight; she wasn't inclined to join him in bed after that rejection, she thought. If only she could get through to him, find out what was eating away at him so much. He never had been much for discussing his problems - or anything else for that matter - with her. She knew it wasn't anything personal; he'd always been closed off, in his own little world. She didn't remember a single person in whom he had confided.  
  
Still, Asha felt that his actions a few minutes ago were a slap in the face. She was confused. It wasn't as if she had tried to seduce him, after all. She was sensitive enough to realize he was hurting somehow, but she just didn't know what was bothering him or what to do about it. Damn the man, anyhow. She got up from the couch and dragged herself to the guest bedroom. She had to be at her best the next day; she didn't have time to worry about Logan tonight. 


	7. Sleepless in Seattle, Chapter Seven

Summary: Asha and Logan grow more intimate after the raid on the VA office.  
  
  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
Logan didn't sleep that night, but it was due to anticipation, rather than despair. He was up early the next morning, pacing impatiently in the exoskeleton. Asha came into the living room silently, listening to the whirr and click of the mechanism as he walked back and forth in front of the living room window.  
  
"You're going to wear that thing out before we're ready to go. Chill out," she said by way of greeting.  
  
Logan stopped, mid-step. "Sorry, I'm just impatient. I want this mission over."  
  
"Don't work yourself into a lather. We're professionals, remember? I know patience was never a virtue of yours," Asha said, almost crossly, "but for once have a little."  
  
She was trying not to think about Logan's behavior the previous night. All she wanted to do was focus on the mission. And as usual, he was too focused on the mission.  
  
"What's for breakfast?" she asked, trying to defuse his impatient mood.  
  
"Ah, I haven't made any yet. I was waiting for you to get up."  
  
"Coffee then?" Asha asked hopefully.  
  
"That's ready. Help yourself."  
  
"OK. Thanks. Shall I fix something?" She went to the coffeemaker and poured herself a large cup.  
  
"No, I'll do it." Logan quickly walked over to the kitchen and started to pull things out of cabinets and the refrigerator. Manically, he clattered around for a few minutes, chopping and mixing, while Asha sat on one of the stools, sipping coffee. She let him set the table, preferring to let him work off the adrenaline. She pulled up a chair at the table while Logan served up what he had cooked. As usual, the omelets were delicious, the bacon was crisp, and the toast was perfect. Logan fidgeted the whole time he ate, gulping down several cups of coffee. The atmosphere was tense.  
  
"Logan, that was wonderful as usual. Now, you need to relax. We've got plenty of time before it all goes down."  
  
"I've got a few more details to take care of, then I'll be good to go."  
  
"OK. I'll call the guys later and make sure they're all set."  
  
They finished breakfast. Then Logan cleaned up the kitchen while Asha showered and dressed. They still had four hours to kill before the mission went down; four hours to fight the jitters that always came with a job. Asha was used to it, but she wasn't sure that Logan was. He hadn't been on an Eyes Only mission in more than a year, as far as she knew, and his last one had resulted in his shooting and paralysis. No wonder he was nervous.  
  
But she knew the plan was a good one, with little risk to Logan. It had been gone over, reconsidered, and gone over again. It was solid. She looked forward to completing the mission, if for no other reason than to soothe Logan's frazzled nerves and prove to him that he could do it. Once he had the necessary files, maybe his mood would lift; maybe he'd find what he was looking for; maybe she'd find out what was eating at him.  
  
Drying her hair, she came back into the living room. This time, Logan was staring out the window.  
  
"Logan, you should get some rest. You look tired."  
  
"I'm OK. Really."  
  
"If you say so. Did you get any sleep last night?"  
  
Logan hesitated. "Not much. Too spun about this. I'll be all right once this is over. It's just that I've been working so hard on this mission and now it's only a few hours away."  
  
"Logan, everything will be fine. We'll get the files and take down Manticore, just as Eyes Only wants us to do. At least sit down. You're making me nervous."  
  
Logan walked over to the computer and sat down in the chair in front of it. He sprawled awkwardly in the exoskeleton, as if he didn't quite know what do with it. After a few minutes, he turned on the computer and became absorbed in checking his contacts for any more information about Manticore. Feeling ignored, Asha went back to the guest room to lie down. At least one of them should be completely rested for that afternoon's adventure.  
  
*****  
  
At 2:00, Asha emerged from her room, ready for the raid. She was clad in a black tee shirt with studs arrayed around the neckline, black pants and a leather jacket. As she entered the computer room looking for Logan, she loaded a clip into her gun and put it into a large purse. She glanced around the room, but Logan was nowhere to be seen.  
  
"Logan?" she headed into the kitchen, but quickly turned around when she heard a noise down the hall. "Well, don't you just look the part," she said with amusement as Logan came out of his bedroom.  
  
Logan laughed. "That's the point of the exercise." He was wearing baggy black pants, a black tank top, and a black and gray cammo shirt with the sleeves cut off. With his shaggy hair and extra-long stubble, he looked suitably disheveled. The exoskeleton could barely be seen over his black boots. "Ready?"  
  
"As ready as I ever could be. Shall we?"  
  
"One more thing," Logan commented as he plopped down in the wheelchair. "OK. Ready to roll, so to speak."  
  
They left the apartment and went out into the hall to catch the elevator.  
  
*****  
  
When they got to Logan's car, he got out of the chair, opened the rear hatch, popped the wheels off the chair, folded the seat up, and stashed it. Then he clambered in behind the wheel while Asha got into the passenger seat.  
  
"One stop, then we pick up your guys," he said as he pulled out of the parking space and headed toward the exit.  
  
They drove off in the direction of the safe house, but a few blocks from its location, Logan turned right and drove toward a shabby commercial district. He pulled up in front of a drab print shop, its windows dusty and dim.  
  
"Give me a few minutes," he said to Asha as he parked the Aztek.  
  
"Sure," she replied. She watched as he got out of the car and headed into the shop. Ever on the alert, she surveyed the surrounding buildings, on the lookout for Sector Police, while Logan conducted his business. Five minutes later, he emerged, stuffing some cards in his wallet.  
  
"ID," he said in response to her questioning glance.  
  
"ID?"  
  
"Yeah, you don't think I'm going in there as Logan Cale, do you? If I want to get near those files, I need to be legit - just in case the VA does have records. I was never in the Army and I sure as hell wasn't injured in action."  
  
"The nature of the war was different. That's all," Asha said thoughtfully.  
  
"Yeah, well." A flash of pain and gratitude at Asha's recognition appeared on Logan's face before he awkwardly looked away. "Had my guy track down a vet who was injured in combat. He died a few years ago. It was pretty simple altering the records."  
  
"You are nothing if not thorough." Asha was impressed.  
  
"Gotta be. You never know what records survived the Pulse."  
  
"True." At the safe house, the other S1W members were waiting for them. Logan parked and they piled into the car, smiling and greeting him and Asha. At last, the final stage of the mission was underway.  
  
*****  
  
A short drive took them to the block where the VA office was located. Logan was careful to park the Aztek a suitable distance from the building. They all got out of the car to deploy; first Logan would enter the building, then one by one, the rest of the crew would drift in and wait for his signal. The fact that Logan got out of the car and walked to the rear to retrieve the wheelchair wasn't lost on the rest of them. The guys exchanged puzzled looks and Asha frowned at them, silently mouthing the word "later." They watched as Logan assembled the chair and situated himself in it. While Asha and the rest waited, he wheeled down the street and stopped in front of the office door. Before entering, he turned the chair and smiled at them. Then he was gone.  
  
"Well, I'm confused," John said. "I thought you said Logan couldn't walk."  
  
"He can't - not without help. He somehow got hold of a surplus Department of Defense exoskeleton. He's wearing it under his clothes. It enables him to stand and walk. He figured he should use it today just in case he had to get out of there quickly."  
  
"Oh, OK. Just freaked me out there for a minute."  
  
"Me too when he first used it with me," Asha admitted. "Well, time to go."  
  
One by one, they sauntered into the building, each taking a number and sitting down in the waiting room. None of them acknowledged the presence of the others. They assumed bored poses, and waited.  
  
In about 15 minutes, Logan's number was called. He wheeled himself to a desk at the rear of the room, nearest the cage holding the file boxes. Asha watched him carefully, knowing that his signal would start the next phase of the operation.  
  
She couldn't hear the conversation between Logan and the clerk; however, she could tell that the clerk looked bored and Logan, exasperated. Every now and then, the clerk would consult his computer screen, then shake his head. Logan grew more animated; he gestured toward the cage full of old records, probably suggesting to the clerk that he should open the cage and look through the files contained there. Again, the clerk shook his head. Then he held up his hand and rubbed the thumb and index finger together, indicating that money should change hands. Logan looked toward the waiting room and nodded almost imperceptibly.  
  
That was the signal. Quickly, Asha, who had been standing in the waiting room, rocking back and forth, climbed onto a chair, pulled out her gun, and fired a shot into the ceiling.  
  
"All right, people, we're the S1W. We're here to set this thing straight!" she shouted. The vets in the waiting room burst into cheers. "Nobody's gonna get hurt, nobody is gonna pay for what they already have coming, and nobody is gonna leave here without their ration cards!"  
  
The vets continued to cheer as the other S1W members drew their guns and entered the office area. Bill disarmed the guard and pushed him to the floor. "Get down!" he shouted.  
  
The VA clerks behind their desks dropped to the floor, expressions of fear on their faces. Logan stood up and shot a mischievous glance at Asha. He walked over to the records cage as Asha joined him. She shot off the padlock and opened the door. Together, they entered the cage. Lee and Pete located the rations cards and began to distribute them to the vets.  
  
Amid the semi-chaos of the VA office, Bill held his gun on the prostrate clerks and the guard. Pete continued the distribution of the rations cards while Lee joined Logan and Asha in the cage. He knew where to look for the files, so they quickly found the boxes they sought. There were three of them, crammed with papers.  
  
"Pile 'em on the chair," Logan ordered. "It will be easier to carry them out of the building that way."  
  
Asha smiled at him. "Good idea, Logan."  
  
"I'll go get the car and bring it up to the back door," he replied.  
  
Logan strode out of the VA Office, the exoskeleton whirring and clicking. He quickly got the Aztek and drove it around the corner into the alley, pulling up at the back door of the building. After he opened the rear hatch, he went to the door and knocked. A few seconds later, he heard a shot, as Asha destroyed yet another lock.  
  
The door opened and Lee and Asha ran out, pushing the wheelchair, now laden with boxes. They loaded the boxes into the car. While Logan was disassembling the chair, Pete, Bill, and John emerged from the building. They shut the door after them and blocked it with a trash bin. The S1W members all high-fived each other and Logan.  
  
"Confusion to the enemy!" Lee cried out and the rest echoed him. They climbed back into the Aztek, their mission completed.  
  
*****  
  
Logan drove back to the safe house. Everyone was still excited over the success of the mission.  
  
"Well done guys," Logan said as he pulled up to the curb. The S1W members got out of the Aztek and headed for the house. "You want to stick around? I'm sure Eyes Only can use your help on other jobs."  
  
"Hey, that would be great. We could use a break from Frisco and Seattle seems like as good a place as any to be," John said.  
  
"Terrific. I'll be in touch. And once again, thanks."  
  
"Our pleasure. We'll catch ya later, Logan."  
  
*****  
  
Logan and Asha returned to the penthouse and lugged the boxes into the dining room. They stacked them by the dining room table, so Logan could easily get to them. Asha went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.  
  
"I could use a beer. Want one?"  
  
"Sure, why not? It's been a long day."  
  
Logan sat down at the table and started to pull papers out of the top box. Asha handed him a bottle of beer and he absentmindedly reached for it. As she looked on, Logan went into research mode and soon became oblivious of her presence.  
  
An hour later, papers were stacked all over the table. Logan began to emerge from his single-minded perusal of the records. He realized that Asha was standing next to him with an amused expression on her face. He looked up at her.  
  
"You really thought you were gonna get into the file room pretending to be a vet?"  
  
"I took a shot," he commented.  
  
"So did I."  
  
Logan chuckled at that remark. The understatement was so typical of Asha. "Appreciate you guys coming along."  
  
Asha made some remark that Logan didn't quite catch. He rummaged through the stack of papers and pulled out a sheet. He waved it at Asha.  
  
"This is Manticore's Wyoming facility. It's gotta be. Requisitions don't add up otherwise."  
  
She leaned over him, her breath on his neck. Once again, the closeness felt good to him. "Think they're running their budget through the VA's books? Trying to cover their tracks?" she asked.  
  
Logan nodded. "If I can follow the money, maybe I can find out where the main facility is."  
  
Asha sat down at the table and looked at him questioningly. "Logan, how many jobs do you think we've done for Eyes Only in the past couple of years?"  
  
Logan was startled by the question. When he had gotten Asha and the S1W involved in Eyes Only missions several years ago, he had decided not to reveal to her that he was Eyes Only. He figured that what she didn't know couldn't hurt her. He didn't want to further endanger her by having her know the identity of the bad guys' Public Enemy Number one. He still remembered the bitch-slapping session Gerhard Bronck had inflicted on him when Bronck thought he could get him to reveal Eyes Only's identity.  
  
"I don't know. Why?"  
  
Asha shrugged. "I've just never seen you get so caught up in an assignment before."  
  
"It's not an assignment. Eyes Only is taking on Manticore as a favor to me," Logan admitted.  
  
"You're messing with some powerful people. They play rough."  
  
Logan looked down, avoiding eye contact with her. "I don't care what happens to me."  
  
When she heard that remark, it suddenly dawned on Asha what this was all about; why Logan was so spun about this mission, what was causing his moods. "Said in his hacks some of those kids escaped back in '09. You knew one of them, didn't you?"  
  
"Her name was Max," Logan said in a dead voice.  
  
"They killed her, didn't they?" - and you were in love with her, weren't you? Asha added silently. That's what this is all about.  
  
Logan said sadly, "I watched her die. The thing is, I can't really believe she's gone. I don't believe it. I know it sounds crazy, but I feel like . she's still out there."  
  
Asha got up from the table and put her arms around Logan. She held him tightly, cradling his head against her chest. She stood there like that for what seemed like hours. Finally she spoke.  
  
"I'm sorry that Max is dead. I really am, but you're not dead, Logan."  
  
"I might as well be," Logan replied. The he got up from the table and retreated to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him.  
  
Asha sighed.  
  
*****  
  
Late that night, Asha awoke abruptly. Once again, she heard noise coming from Logan's bedroom and realized that he was in the throes of another nightmare. As she had done the other night, she crept down the hall to his room, senses on the alert. She opened the door and tiptoed into Logan's room, this time without her gun.  
  
The curtains were partially drawn, as if closed in haste. Light shone in from other high-rise buildings. Asha could see the exoskeleton next to the nightstand, eerie in the dim light. Logan's wheelchair was next to the bed. Logan himself was wide-eyed although deep asleep, an expression of horror on his face. Asha tiptoed around the bed to the far side. She closed the curtains, then climbed into bed next to him. As she had the other night, she put her arms around him in an embrace.  
  
But this time, he did not stop his peculiar upper-body thrashing and he continued to cry out. It sounded like a name - Max. Asha held Logan tighter. He twisted around in order to return her embrace and held onto her desperately. His strength surprised her.  
  
She shook him. "Logan! Wake up!"  
  
Not quite awake, he looked at her with his out of focus stare. "Max?"  
  
"No, Logan. It's Asha, not Max."  
  
"Asha?"  
  
"Yes, Logan. Asha."  
  
He was thoroughly awake now, still clinging to her, but his body relaxed a bit. He buried his face in her throat, kissing her hungrily. Startled, Asha cried out. His mouth followed the curves of her throat upward. He found her lips and bruisingly pressed against them.  
  
Asha returned his kisses. They were needier than she remembered; in San Francisco he'd never been needy. He forced her lips apart with his tongue, then thrust it into her mouth, exploring. Asha could feel the heat rise within her. She'd never known Logan to be like this. Their mouths were smashed together.  
  
Finally, Logan broke off the kiss and took several deep breaths.  
  
"Logan, are you all right?"  
  
"Yes," he replied, his chest heaving. "I'm all right." He kissed her again, then his mouth found her ear. He nipped her earlobe, then thrust his tongue into her ear. She moaned; he must have remembered what that did to her. He held her tighter and kissed her lips again, her cheek, her eyelids, almost in gratitude, it seemed.  
  
Asha tangled her hands in his shaggy hair. He responded to her, running his lips over her throat again, kissing the hollow there. She slipped out of his embrace, and reached down to slide off Logan's shorts, but he gently redirected her hands over her head and slipped off her tank top. He cupped her breasts in his hands and circled her nipples with his tongue, first the left, then the right. Once again, she moaned with pleasure. He nuzzled between her breasts.  
  
He felt so good next to her, their bodies touching. She smoothed his hair, then ran her fingers over his neck, shoulders, and back. His muscles tensed. She could feel the scars from his surgeries and realized that below them, he had little or no sensation. So she ran her hands up his back to his neck, then lifted his head from her breasts, stroking his throat and chest. It was his turn to moan.  
  
His eyelids fluttered. As Logan kissed her, his fingers explored her body. His long, strong fingers - how she had missed his touch! He moved his hands down her belly to her navel, then traced a finger even lower. Almost as a reflex, her back arched to meet his hand.  
  
He found the spot that inflamed all her nerve endings and began to massage it, slowly and gently. Asha moved her hips rhythmically, in time with his ministrations. The speed and intensity increased; she wrapped her legs around him. He put one arm around her and rolled onto his back, so that she was on top of him, her legs still wrapped around his hips. She leaned over him, her face not an inch from his, then nestled her head next to his ear, breathing into it.  
  
Asha was caught in a growing wave of sensation that washed over her. She found herself transported back to a simpler, happier place with the passionate, beautiful man beside her, reliving their nights together in his apartment overlooking San Francisco Bay. All the while, he continued his finger play, sending Asha into paroxysms of pleasure. Harder and harder, deeper and deeper he thrust, then faster until she was nearly dancing, moving back and forth above him. Finally, all movement stopped as she reached climax, then sank down on top of him.  
  
A blissful eternity later, Asha buried her face in Logan's chest and slept, only vaguely aware of the fact that their session had no effect on him. 


	8. Sleepless in Seattle, Chapter Eight

Summary: What happens when Asha and Logan talk about what happened the night before.  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
When Asha awoke the next morning, she wasn't sure if she had been dreaming about what had happened. She opened her eyes slowly, not wanting to spoil the dream. But the bed was empty; Logan was nowhere to be seen and his wheelchair was no longer beside the bed. She heard water running in the bathroom, so she surmised that he was in the shower. For a minute, she wondered if she dared join him, then decided that she should take it slow and not spook him. The previous night had been a good start.  
  
She lay back in the bed, unwilling to relinquish Logan's scent on the sheets. Lying on her back, she knitted her fingers beneath her head and stared at the ceiling. She smiled.  
  
She may have dozed off; she wasn't sure. But she fully awoke when she heard the bathroom door open. Logan rolled into the room, clad only in a tee shirt and black silk shorts. Asha eyed him admiringly.  
  
"I see you still like silk shorts. Some things never change," she commented.  
  
"I always liked the feel of silk," Logan replied. "I guess now it's just from habit, since I can't feel the fabric against my skin any more."  
  
"It's still very sexy." She had to admit that Logan was still very sexy too, sitting there in the wheelchair, barefoot. Although his legs were lifeless, they had shape and definition; it was obvious that he'd been working out a lot.  
  
"You always did have nice legs, you know. You still do, even if they don't work."  
  
His response was an embarrassed laugh. He wheeled over to the dresser and pulled out cargo pants and a pair of socks. As Asha watched, he shinnied into the pants, balancing on one hand while he lifted his hips. Then he pulled the socks over his limp feet and put on sneakers. Asha noted, with a lump in her throat, that the soles of the sneakers were pristine. She swallowed hard.  
  
"I guess I should get up," she said.  
  
"No hurry. I'm just going to go over more of the files we got. I've still got a couple of boxes to rat through. Wanna help?"  
  
"Maybe later. I've got some errands to run. If we're gonna stay in Seattle, we need to set up a command base. That means equipment - radios, phones, a computer, stuff like that. So we should start to acquire it."  
  
"Great. Well, let me know what I can do. I have a lot of contacts who have ah, high tech stuff they'd like to unload for a good price."  
  
"I'll bet you do." Asha laughed as Logan rolled out into the hallway. A few minutes later, he was in the kitchen, whistling to himself. Neither of them had mentioned the precious night.  
  
*****  
  
After a hearty breakfast, Logan went back to the boxes of records, while Asha perused real estate ads in the paper, looking for a new base of operations for the S1W.  
  
"You know," Logan said, after Asha complained about the rental prices of houses for the third time, "you are all welcome to stay in that safe house as long as you like. Eyes Only has a couple more scattered around. He probably wouldn't miss it."  
  
"Thanks, Logan. I'll let the guys know." She dialed a number on her cell phone.  
  
"Hey," she said a minute later. "Logan said it's OK with Eyes Only if you stay there for a while. Yeah, it is, isn't it? I'll be down in a little while. See you then." She hung up.  
  
"Logan, I've got to go meet with the guys. Lee is going to buy a car today so we'll have permanent wheels. Things are beginning to line up."  
  
"Terrific. Just let me know what I can do to get the S1W set up here."  
  
"I sure will. Thanks for all your help." Asha got up from the couch and grabbed her backpack.  
  
"Back at ya. Couldn't have pulled off that raid without your help."  
  
"Well, I've gotta go. Catch ya later." She kissed Logan on the cheek and left.  
  
Logan went back to looking through the boxes for Manticore files. Everything that he thought referred to that covert operation went into one pile; everything else went into a box for storage or possibly shredding. He pored over the records all morning and had only a small pile of files to show for it. It was slow-going and frustrating. The data on Manticore had to be somewhere, if only he could find a clue as to where.  
  
He wished he could find Donald Lydecker. The Colonel would know where the main facility was located, but every effort Logan had made to contact him had ended in failure. None of the telephone numbers he'd had worked anymore. If Lydecker had gone to ground, he had done an excellent job of it, and based on his military records that Logan had hacked into the year before, the older man was indeed capable of disappearing and defying all efforts to locate him.  
  
So Logan went through every piece of paper in each box, searching for clues; a well-funded "VA hospital" in Gillette, Wyoming whose funding dropped off after February of 2009 and facilities whose funding was transferred to other locations. And with each scrap of paper he examined, his desire to avenge Max's death grew. He would find Manticore's main facility and destroy it if that was the last thing he did.  
  
*****  
  
Asha ran her errands thinking about the events of the previous night. While she had enjoyed Logan making love to her, she also was disturbed by it. In the past, lovemaking had never been one-sided with him; he had always taken his time and they had both enjoyed exploring each other's body. Last night had felt desperate. She decided that they needed to talk.  
  
Once the paperwork had been completed for the old but sturdy van for the group, Asha borrowed it to visit the market Logan had told her about. She went to his favorite vendors and purchased his favorite foods; she was especially pleased with the strawberries she found. If she was going to bring up things that Logan didn't want to talk about, the least she could do was soften him up with dinner.  
  
Hah, she thought. Breaking into Manticore would probably be easier than getting Logan to open up about anything that was bugging him. She knew him too well. But she was counting on a good dinner and some wine to loosen him up a bit. Well, she could only try.  
  
*****  
  
Late that afternoon, Asha returned to the penthouse. She struggled with the bags of fruit, vegetables, cheese, and poultry she had purchased, wishing she had a cart to haul it all in. Laden down, she exited the elevator at Logan's floor and realized she couldn't get to the key he had given her. So she rang his bell with her elbow, trying to balance all the bags and not drop them. There was no answer, so she rang again. She knew he was home: the Aztek was parked in his space in the garage.  
  
There was still no answer, so she put down the bags and fumbled in her pocket for the key. She pushed open the door, picked up the bags, and entered the penthouse. Kicking the door shut behind her, Asha looked around. At first, the place seemed to be empty, but as she got further down the hall, she realized that it wasn't. Logan was asleep at the dining room table where she had left him that morning, his elbows resting on a small pile of papers, his head resting on his elbows. No wonder he hadn't heard the bell.  
  
Asha tiptoed into the kitchen, hoping not to wake him. She put the bags on the counter and carefully opened the refrigerator. As quietly as she could, she put away her purchases, glancing over at Logan every now and then. Deciding on chicken, rice, and steamed broccoli for dinner, she turned on the oven to preheat it. Then she bent over to look for pots in the cabinet next to the stove. As she selected a couple for the rice and broccoli, she heard a noise in the dining room and looked up to see Logan stretching and yawning.  
  
"Hello, sleepyhead," she said cheerfully.  
  
"Oh God, what time is it? How long have I been out?"  
  
"It's nearly five-thirty. And I have no idea how long you've been asleep. I just got in."  
  
"What are you doing?" He didn't seem to be quite awake.  
  
"Getting ready to fix dinner. I do know how to cook, you know."  
  
"Damn! I needed to go to the market today. I must have really been out of it." He shook his head as if to clear it.  
  
"No problem. I've got it covered. I went to the market and stocked up. It was the least I could do."  
  
Logan unlocked his brakes and wheeled himself into the kitchen. "What've you got planned for dinner then?"  
  
Asha opened the fridge and showed him what she had bought, then brought out the chicken. He nodded in approval. "Want any help?"  
  
"Heaven forbid I should intrude in your domain, sir," she replied playfully, "but I was here first. You just relax and enjoy the break."  
  
But instead of relaxing, Logan grabbed a handful of papers off the table, rolled over to the computer, and turned it on. Maybe he could match up some of what he had found in the paper files with the sketchy Department of Defense online records. Maybe that would lead him to Manticore's location.  
  
An hour later, however, he gave up in defeat. There seemed to be no correlation between the papers and the computerized records. Once again, he had a hit a wall in his efforts to find Manticore. He next tried to track down Donald Lydecker, but as he had suspected, the man had covered his tracks well.  
  
"Damn!" he exclaimed, pounding his fist on the desk. He shut down the system and rolled out of the office.  
  
"Dead end?" Asha asked.  
  
"As usual. Damn, I'm getting tired of this," Logan replied in frustration.  
  
"Well, come have dinner. You probably haven't eaten all day, if I know you."  
  
Asha had cleared the dining room table. Now she brought out the chicken, perfectly roasted with fresh herbs, followed by rice and lightly steamed broccoli. Logan pulled up to the table and set his brakes.  
  
"Yes, mother. Smells wonderful." He grinned at her.  
  
"Want some wine?"  
  
"Sure. There's an open bottle of Riesling in the fridge. That should do." Asha got the wine and a couple of glasses. "You can carve the chicken."  
  
Logan did so while she served the rest of the food. They ate in relative contentment, savoring the meal.  
  
"This is so good," Logan commented.  
  
"Especially since you didn't have to cook it," Asha teased. "Just a thank- you for all you've done for the group. We're getting things set up. We've got a car. Looks like the S1W is here for the long haul. I'm here for the long haul." She watched his face for a reaction. There was a little, enigmatic smile. As usual, she couldn't read him.  
  
After dinner, Logan wheeled into the kitchen. "OK, my turn to make dessert," he said. "as long as we're celebrating."  
  
"God, I couldn't eat another bite! Maybe you can do it tomorrow night?"  
  
"Sure." He sounded disappointed, but didn't argue. Instead, he cleaned up the dishes and the kitchen. Asha moved to one of the kitchen stools and told him about her day. She asked about his progress with the VA files, but he was noncommittal on the subject. She knew Logan well enough to realize that when he answered questions with grunts she shouldn't pursue it. So she left him alone and went into the living room with her glass of wine.  
  
*****  
  
After a while, Logan joined her. She had been stretched out on the couch, but at his approach, she swiveled around to sit up. He transferred from the chair to the couch to sit beside her.  
  
"We need to talk. About last night," he said, looking at her sadly.  
  
"Last night? What about it? I enjoyed last night very much, Logan." Asha dreaded what he was going to say next and stared at him.  
  
"Asha, I'm sorry about last night. I think I exhausted my new repertoire." Logan said in reply to her unspoken question.  
  
"I don't understand what you're saying, Logan." Asha searched his face for a sign.  
  
"Um, you know what I was like - as a lover - back in the day - when I could walk. I can't be like that anymore."  
  
"I know that, Logan. I wasn't expecting you to be."  
  
" I can't feel anything below my ribcage. Until last night, I hadn't had - any sexual contact in more than a year." He looked down in embarrassment.  
  
Asha smiled. "Well, Logan, that certainly explains your mood swings. It's about time you did something about that."  
  
"I don't even know if - "  
  
"I guess we'll find out together then, won't we?" Asha said gently. "You know I won't diss you if you can't. And wouldn't you rather find out what works and what doesn't with some one you've known for a while rather than some one you'd like to get to know?"  
  
Logan smiled sadly. "I guess so," he admitted.  
  
"And at least you know what I like and I know what you like. We'll work it out together somehow. I promise."  
  
"Yeah, I guess so. It was so - strange last night, not to be able to feel anything, but to still know what was going on."  
  
"Logan, you're a writer. Use your imagination. You know what something is supposed to feel like. You've experienced it before. Remember what it felt like before."  
  
Asha leaned over and stroked his thigh. Logan recalled the number of times he'd done the same thing, hoping for a response that he never got. He shut his eyes tightly. When he opened them, he realized that she was now stroking the inside of his thigh, which used to drive him crazy back in the day - when he could feel it. Maybe if he concentrated, he could remember what it felt like to be touched by a woman in that way.  
  
"I'm not sure my imagination is that good," he said in defeat.  
  
"Here, let me try this." She took his hand in hers. Using two fingers, she stroked the inside of his wrist with a circular motion. Then she gently ran her fingers up to his elbow and back, barely touching him. Logan closed his eyes and moaned softly.  
  
"Ah, that works," Asha said in a satisfied tone of voice. "Now, pretend I'm doing that to your thigh."  
  
Logan's brows knit in concentration. Then he smiled. "It's working."  
  
"Great. That's a good start. Now I hate to break the mood, but maybe we should continue this experiment somewhere more comfortable. OK?"  
  
"OK," he agreed. "I never was one for fooling around on the couch." Logan looked down the hall toward his bedroom and sighed. 


	9. Sleepless in Seattle, Chapter Nine

Summary: Asha and Logan "bang the gong."  
  
  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
Logan transferred back to the chair and started to wheel himself down the hall. Asha followed him. He stopped briefly at his bedroom door and said to her, "Make yourself comfortable. I'll be back in a few," then headed to the bathroom.  
  
He brushed his teeth, then prepared himself, according to Bling's and Sam Carr's instructions, for a night of, well he wasn't sure what it was going to be a night of. He still didn't know how his body would respond, or if it would respond at all. He'd discussed such matters with Sam after his second surgery, but it had all been abstract, theoretical, and more than a bit clinical. He wasn't sure he could take any more humiliation if his body failed him; he'd had so much over the past year.  
  
Then there was his history with Asha. They'd been passionate lovers back in San Francisco and she knew what he'd been capable of then. For her to even entertain the thought that he was still capable - well, it was incomprehensible to him, and any comparisons to what he'd been like in the past were unthinkable. He had to admit to himself that he was more than a little scared.  
  
Back in the day, they'd ridden bikes all over the place. They'd hiked to the top of Mount Tamalpais and watched the sunset. They'd made love all weekend in his flat overlooking the bay. Now he could stand and walk only with artificial assistance. Once out of the exoskeleton, he was a cripple in a wheelchair, worthy only of Asha's pity. And he didn't want that.  
  
"Logan, get over yourself!" he muttered, looking in the mirror. "You ditched the pity party mode months ago! You came to terms with all of this. It didn't matter to Max that you couldn't walk. It took you almost a year to realize that and it almost ruined the two of you. Don't screw up now."  
  
But Asha was different, he insisted to himself. Max had known him only a few days before he'd been shot and had begun his new life as a paraplegic. Asha had known him when he was active and vigorous and standing on his own two feet. The shocked look on her face when he'd opened the door a few days ago told him all he needed to know.  
  
*****  
  
Still giving himself a mental pep talk, he returned to his room. Asha was standing beside the bed, staring at the exoskeleton. She had never seen it when the lights were on.  
  
"Can you put that on the other side of the nightstand for me?" he asked.  
  
"Sure." Asha picked it up gingerly and placed it where he had asked her. To her surprise, it wasn't heavy at all.  
  
Logan wheeled over to the bed and in a smooth motion, transferred out of the chair and onto it. Asha unzipped her jeans and took them off. She stood before Logan in a pair of lavender lace panties and a tee shirt.  
  
"For a bomb-throwing, fire-breathing revolutionary, you sure wear sexy undies," Logan said with a smile.  
  
"We all have our guilty little secrets," Asha replied, returning his smile. She leaned over and pulled his tee shirt over his head, tossing it to the bottom of the bed. Then she traced the contours of his chest with her index finger. "You've filled out a lot since I saw you last," she said admiringly.  
  
"I've had a lot of physical therapy and exercise over the last year or so."  
  
"It looks good on you." She pulled off her own tee shirt and undid her bra. She threw them on top of Logan's shirt. Her panties followed.  
  
Logan eyed her. "You look good yourself." He tried unsuccessfully not to stare.  
  
"Why, thank you sir. Shall we continue with the striptease?"  
  
In reply, Logan undid the drawstring of his cargo pants and shinnied out of them and his shorts.  
  
"Now, do you want me to do anything.?" Asha asked tentatively.  
  
"Nope, I can get into bed all by myself." He laughed. It sounded to Asha like he was unused to laughing.  
  
"That's not what I meant!" she said in mock indignation.  
  
"Just jerking your chain." Supporting himself with his hands, Logan slid farther back onto the bed until he was sitting with his legs straight out in front of him. Then he rolled onto his side facing Asha and lifted his legs into place with his hands.  
  
She climbed into bed next to him. She turned to face him and just held him in her arms.  
  
*****  
  
Logan had taken off his glasses and his eyelids fluttered closed as he savored her touch. Her hands moved all over his upper body and arms, tracing patterns on his chest and back. She searched for that new place she knew would drive him crazy, the spot that used to be on the inside of his thigh. Lazily, her fingers touched, tickled, and stroked him.  
  
He felt his body tighten beneath her ministrations and he wondered if that meant what he thought it did. He was embarrassed to look down or to ask her. Then he sighed in contentment. He hadn't felt like this since . the anniversary night that had found him and Max on the floor of his living room, locked in an embrace. He hadn't thought he could feel that way again.  
  
Max, he thought. God, he had to let her go. She was dead and he had to get on with his life. Unwanted tears welled up. When he opened his eyes again, Asha was looking at him with a concerned expression on her face.  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
"-Yeah, I'm OK. Had a moment there."  
  
"Thinking about the girl who died?"  
  
"Yes," he admitted. NO No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the feeling that Max was alive out there somewhere.  
  
"Want me to stop?"  
  
"No. It feels good. Keep going."  
  
" As long as you're OK with it."  
  
"I'm OK with it. You were right. I'm not dead. I need to get on with my life.. I was enjoying it. I actually felt whole again for a minute or two."  
  
"Well, I gotta tell you, your body acted like it was whole. In case you hadn't noticed, or couldn't tell."  
  
"I wasn't sure. It was a different sensation from what I was used to. I guess I need to reprogram my brain to recognize new signals. At least I'm getting signals. I suppose I should be grateful."  
  
"Come on, Logan, you're a guy. You'd have to be dead to not get any signals! Let me get back to what I was doing. Can you roll over on your back? It'll be easier for both of us."  
  
In response, Logan rolled onto his back, with Asha still in his arms. It felt so good to hold a woman again, and he was happy to know that his body could still respond, even if he couldn't feel it. She moved farther down his body, her tongue delicately darting up and down his chest. Reflexively, he arched his back as best he could, realizing that momentarily she would reach a place that he could no longer feel. Maybe it was his imagination, but sensation did not stop as she continued down his chest toward his navel.  
  
He ran his fingers through her hair, once again noting the difference between her and Max, whose long hair would have hung in his eyes as he made love to her. Stop it, Logan, he reprimanded himself mentally. Don't you know how tacky it is to think of one woman while making love to another? He tried to put thoughts of Max out of his mind.  
  
He watched as Asha stroked the inside of his thigh. Logan thought he could feel a tingle, or maybe it was just the transference exercise she had taught him. In any case, it made him crazy, just like it had done in the past. He closed his eyes contentedly, hoping she would continue to rouse him and amazed that she could.  
  
She leaned forward, her breasts touching his chest. Then she kissed him again, her tongue darting into his mouth in a way he'd always found so enticing. They tongue-wrestled for a few minutes until he broke the contact, pulling her down closer to him. His hands ran down her back, massaging her buttocks until she moaned. She licked his ear and twined her fingers in his hair, then wrapped her legs around him.  
  
Locked together, they continued to explore new ways and places. Asha stroked, rubbed, fondled, and tweaked all of Logan's upper body, finding out what elicited the most reaction from him. Mentally, she filed away whatever she discovered. Then she slid down his legs, to the unfeeling half of him, determined to alleviate some of the numbness he had said he felt below the point of his injury.  
  
Tentatively, she ran a fingernail down the inside of his leg, down to his ankle. There was no response. She tickled the sole of his foot. Again, there was no reaction. She moved back up above the level of sensation to try to find his center of arousal. She licked his nipples with a quick, darting motion. Logan's eyelids snapped open in surprise. Then he smiled. He felt the tightness in his body again, but this time he knew what it meant.  
  
"Ah, that did it!" Asha whispered, then reached down to fondle him. "How'm I doing?"  
  
"I'll give you a week to stop that!" Logan replied breathlessly. Maybe it was his imagination, but he was certain he could feel her stroking him. It was the most wonderful sensation because he had thought he'd never experience it again. He kissed Asha on the forehead, then on the lips, not forcefully, as he had the previous night, but with contentment.  
  
"Ya know," she whispered in his ear as she broke the lip lock, "You're pretty much standing at attention."  
  
"Really?" Logan looked down.  
  
"And this is the first time I've had to tell a guy that he's got it up - "  
  
"I'll bet."  
  
"So let's see what we can do with it."  
  
Asha straddled Logan, then lowered herself on top of him, still stroking him to keep him hard. She rode him, gently at first, moving up and down, her thighs working rhythmically. Logan watched her, fascinated. It was almost voyeuristic, this new kind of lovemaking, but not unpleasant. He reached up and pulled her closer to him. While she speeded up her motions, he played with her nipples, then ran his fingers down her body. With his hands around her waist, he helped her move up and down, faster and faster, until she was spent.  
  
He couldn't feel her climax, but he could see the expression on her face and know that she had come. Somehow, that satisfied him. Asha smiled at him and he smiled back. They kissed again, before she rolled off of him.  
  
They held each other tightly until they fell asleep.  
  
*****  
  
The next morning, Asha awoke first. The previous night had seemed like a dream and she wanted to remind herself that it wasn't. She looked over at the sleeping figure next to her. Logan was wrapped in the sheets, sleeping soundly. He was sprawled across the bed, his legs intertwined with hers.  
  
She carefully sat up and smiled at him. Then she gently lifted his legs off of hers. He stirred, but didn't wake up. She slid out of the bed and silently tiptoed into the bathroom where she indulged in a long, steaming shower. Humming happily, she shampooed her hair. When she stared into the mirror while brushing her teeth, the face that stared back at her looked a lot like a woman in love.  
  
When she returned to the bedroom, Logan was still asleep. Knowing how difficult it had been for him to sleep lately, she didn't disturb him. Instead, she went back to her room and dressed. Checking her watch, she realized that she had to meet the other S1W members shortly, so she scribbled a note for Logan and taped it to his refrigerator. She slipped out of his apartment quietly, boots in hand, stealing a furtive look at his still form.  
  
*****  
  
Several hours later, Logan awoke. He was startled to find that the space in the bed next to him was empty. He didn't hear any sounds from the bathroom, so he sleepily wondered where Asha was. He reached for his glasses.  
  
Now that he could see the alarm clock on the nightstand clearly, he realized that it was still early in the morning. Untangling himself from the sheets, he couldn't help thinking about the previous night. At least he had proved something to himself. Asha apparently had taken it for granted that his lovemaking skills were intact, but he hadn't. He felt better this morning, now that he knew he could still satisfy a woman, and that he could at least enjoy himself, if not find his own satisfaction. That might take more practice, he suspected.  
  
After the ill-fated sojourn at Cape Haven, Logan thought he had nothing more to prove to himself. He decided he was wrong. He always had to prove something to himself; eventually, he hoped, there would be nothing more left to prove. One by one, the obstacles were falling.  
  
He maneuvered himself over to the edge of the bed and transferred to the chair. Figuring it was time to get started on more Manticore research, he wheeled into the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee. While it was brewing, he showered and dressed, still wondering where Asha was. When he went back to the kitchen, he spotted her note. He unfolded it and read it.  
  
Logan - I had to go meet up with the guys to run some errands. I'll be back shortly. Thanks for last night. Asha  
  
Logan smiled, thinking that he should be thanking her. He made himself a cup of coffee and, still energized from the previous night, fired up the computers, eager to complete his task. Somehow, he knew that the day would bring a breakthrough. It had to. 


	10. Sleepless in Seattle, Chapter Ten

A/N: Lest anyone think that I sold out to the censors and rewrote anything, please be assured that the only thing that was changed in this story was the rating.  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
It was early afternoon and Logan still wasn't getting very far in his searches. Frustrated, he decided to take a break and start again. His cell phone rang - the private Eyes Only line that only a few carefully selected people knew about. He reached for it in anticipation. Maybe one of his contacts had finally come through.  
  
The voice on the other end startled him. It was Lydecker.  
  
"I caught your hacks," he said. "Looks like you and I are on the same side again. I've got some information for you. We need to meet."  
  
"Where? When?" Logan grabbed a note pad.  
  
"Uh-oh, some one's coming. I gotta go. I'll call you back." The phone went dead.  
  
"Damn!" Logan almost threw it across the floor. He had no choice but to wait for Lydecker to call back. In the meantime, he decided, he better be ready for whatever Deck had in mind, so he logged out and shut down the computers. Slipping the cell phone into his shirt pocket, Logan wheeled back into his bedroom.  
  
He transferred to the edge of the bed and stripped off his pants. Unbuckling the fasteners on the exoskeleton, he struggled into it. He turned on the servomotor and carefully stood up. Balancing on unfeeling feet, he adjusted it with a small wrench and screwdriver, then did a couple of deep knee bends to test it out. It seemed to be working all right. As he reached for his pants, his cell phone rang again.  
  
"Yeah?" he said tersely, unsnapping the legs of the pants he had bought the previous year from a catalogue of handicapped-specific clothing. They were comfortable and easy to put on, which was the whole point, he supposed.  
  
"OK. It's safe now," Lydecker said. "I'm at the warehouse where we planned the raid on Manticore." The warehouse was just inside the city limits in Sector Three. "Meet me at three."  
  
Logan snapped the pants legs over the exoskeleton. He was in such a hurry that he didn't fasten all the snaps.  
  
"No," he replied, "I wanna do it now."  
  
Obviously, his impatience annoyed Lydecker, who protested.  
  
"Yeah, right now!" Logan insisted, and Lydecker finally agreed. "Okay. I'll meet you there." He rang off.  
  
As he headed toward the door, Logan put the cell phone back in his pocket and grabbed his keys from the table. He opened the door, just in time to nearly knock over Asha on the outside, carrying a large, heavy box. He quickly discovered that the box contained guns for the S1W, which she didn't want the checkpoint police to see. That was only natural, so he quickly told her that it was all right to leave it at his place for a day or two. Then he hurried off to his meeting with Lydecker.  
  
*****  
  
The meeting didn't go well at first. As Logan got out of the car, Lydecker approached him. But then another man, a black man with an eyepatch, stepped from behind a pillar, with a gun pointed at him. Logan was sure that the older man had betrayed him, especially when two armed soldiers came up behind him. Lydecker didn't disabuse him of that idea when he said "Sorry, son."  
  
But just when Logan thought that it was all going to end right there, with more bullets in his body, Lydecker elbowed the other man in the mouth and grabbed his gun. He yelled at Logan to duck, which he did, but not quickly enough in the bulky exoskeleton. As Lydecker and the other man were struggling, the gun went off, grazing Logan's arm as he crouched by the Aztek. Lydecker shot the two soldiers behind Logan, dropping them like rocks. Then he knocked the other man to the ground.  
  
"You shot me!" Logan cried, clutching his bicep. He glared at Lydecker.  
  
"I told you to duck," Lydecker replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "It just winged you."  
  
Logan was still in shock, but was about to get out of his crouch and approach Lydecker when the man with the eyepatch, recovered from Lydecker's intrusive elbow, started to yell at the colonel. Logan didn't catch all of the conversation, but knew it was angry when Lydecker wrenched the man's arm behind his back, pulled out his own weapon, and pointed it at the man's head. Logan stayed put, still in his crouch.  
  
Lydecker was ranting about his "kids" - Logan assumed he was referring to the X5s - and going on about Renfro murdering them. He pushed the other man to the ground and threatened him. But the guy wouldn't stay down. Whatever they were discussing, the man didn't seem to know much about it. Logan assumed he was some sort of Manticore flunky.  
  
The other guy touched his bloody lip and asked Lydecker to take him to the hospital. But Lydecker said there was a small problem with that. He gestured toward Logan and indicated that the other man had gotten a look at him, and that this was a bad thing.  
  
The black man protested that he had hardly seen Logan, that his depth perception was shot, that all white boys looked alike, which irked Logan.  
  
Lydecker turned to Logan and asked him, "What do you think?" It sounded to Logan that Lydecker was trying to protect his Eyes Only persona. But before he could answer, the black guy went for his gun, which Lydecker had tossed on the ground behind him. Without turning around, Lydecker shot him dead.  
  
Logan had heard stories about Lydecker's ruthlessness from Max, but this was the first time he'd seen it up close. Lydecker had always treated him with some deference, even paternally at times, so this came as a shock to him. Warily, gun in hand, Logan approached Lydecker.  
  
They both looked down at the body on the floor. Without missing a beat, Lydecker commented, "We never really liked each other, did we?"  
  
Then he turned to Logan and said, "So you want to know about Manticore?"  
  
Logan nodded. "Do you mind if I record this, just for my own files?"  
  
"No, go ahead. I'll tell you whatever you want to know. I want this over as much as you do."  
  
*****  
  
Several hours later, tired, sore, and almost overwhelmed by the information Lydecker had provided, Logan arrived back at his penthouse. His arm hurt like hell where he had been grazed by the stray bullet and he ruefully figured he'd have to throw his shirt away.  
  
He threw his keys on the table in the hall and wearily made his way to the kitchen for a glass of water. He almost jumped out of his skin when he heard a voice from the living room.  
  
"Hey, how'd it go?" Asha's head popped up from the couch, where she had been napping.  
  
"Weird. But at least I got what I wanted."  
  
"Good." Asha got up and came over to join him. "My God, Logan, what happened? You're bleeding!"  
  
"I was grazed by a bullet. It's nothing, just hurts."  
  
"Well, at least let me look at it. I've got some first aid training - another fun aspect of membership in the S1W. Do you have a kit somewhere?"  
  
"In the bathroom. In the cabinet."  
  
Asha trotted off to get the first aid kit while Logan, glass of water in hand, sat down at his computer, took the tiny tape recorder out of his pocket, and put it on the desk. Now that he had so much information on Manticore, he had to decide what to do with it, how it would all fit into his plan to destroy the project. He had an urgent need for sleep. But first, that wound needed attention.  
  
"OK, Logan. Strip off that shirt," Asha said in a matter-of-fact voice.  
  
"-Asha, it's just my arm," Logan protested.  
  
"So, roll up your sleeve then. It's not like I haven't seen you naked, you know."  
  
Logan took off his shirt and examined the damaged sleeve to see if it could be repaired. It didn't look too bad. He'd try to stitch it up later, if the dried blood would wash out.  
  
"Ow!" he cried suddenly. Asha had applied a cotton ball full of alcohol to his bicep.  
  
"Hold still and don't be such a wuss!" she ordered. "Honestly, Logan, about your pain threshold."  
  
"My pain threshold is just fine, as I've found out continuously over the past year or so."  
  
"Sorry," she apologized. "I'm almost done here. It's only a nasty scratch. Just needed cleaning and a bandaid."  
  
Asha finished cleaning the wound and covered it with a square, flesh- colored bandage. Stepping back, she admired her handiwork and Logan's bare chest.  
  
"There, all done. It should heal quickly. Just be sore for a few days."  
  
"Thanks, Asha. Sorry I snapped at you. It's been a - tense day."  
  
"I guess so. When was the last time you were shot at?"  
  
"March, April, something like that," Logan said wryly. "At least this time, I came away with the information I was looking for."  
  
"On Manticore? That's great."  
  
"Yeah, now all I have to do is sort through it all so I can - get it to Eyes Only in a form he can use for his hacks."  
  
"Sounds like a real breakthrough. I'm so happy for you." Asha hugged Logan. He grimaced a bit in pain.  
  
"Thanks. Now, did you get through the sector check OK?"  
  
"Yes, thanks for letting me hide that box here. It's gone - I took it to the safe house for the rest of the guys."  
  
"I don't recall that the S1W was heavily into firepower."  
  
"No, we're not, but we need to protect ourselves, especially since that little caper at the VA. You never know when we'll need more than handguns."  
  
"Well, be careful. I can't afford to lose any more - friends" Logan said. "Look, Asha, I am beat. I've got to get some sleep. You're welcome to stick around if you want."  
  
"That's OK. I've got some things to do. I can come back and fix dinner, if you like."  
  
"Yeah, that would be nice. Give me, ah," Logan looked at his watch, "three hours."  
  
"Fine. I'll be back at six. See ya then. Get some rest."  
  
Asha kissed Logan on the cheek, grabbed her backpack, and left.  
  
*****  
  
Logan went into his bedroom, sat down on the bed, and got undressed. He turned off the exoskeleton and got out of it, took off his glasses, then lay down to take a nap. He decided against taking a sleeping pill, since those were good for eight hours and he wasn't planning to be asleep that long.  
  
He shut his eyes and tried to relax, but as usual, it didn't happen. For a while he just lay there, thinking about what Lydecker had told him. There was so much information to process: the genetics experiments; the harsh military training; the culling of 'imperfect' soldiers and the exploratory autopsies Lydecker had witnessed; the various locations he knew about and the hints that there were more that he didn't know about; the controlling Committee and the names of some of the members; Renfro and her experiments.  
  
When Logan finally slipped into sleep, his dreams were disturbing. He dreamt of Max, as a child, undergoing the strict training and inhumane drills Lydecker had described. He dreamt of her wondering what had happened to her less-than-perfect companions who disappeared, and he dreamt of what her life might be like if she had remained at Manticore. Would she have become an assassin like Jace or an unfeeling soldier like Brin? Would her seizures have rendered her the object of an autopsy, or would she have been cured of them as Brin had been?  
  
At least she was at peace now, his dreams told him. At least she had had a few happy times, like his cousin Bennett's wedding, the dinners and chess games they had shared, the basketball games she had watched him play. He was grateful that he had been able to give her that. And now, with the information Lydecker had just given him, he would be able to give her vindication, and avenge the death of his dark angel.  
  
His sleep was interrupted by the sound of a door opening. He opened his eyes and peered at the clock; it was nearly 6 PM. Asha must have returned. Logan pulled himself up into a sitting position, noticing that his pillow was damp, and put his glasses on. Once again, sleep had not brought him rest. He sighed as he transferred to the wheelchair and went to the closet for a change of clothes.  
  
A few minutes later, he emerged from the bedroom wearing a red tee shirt and a pair of black cargo pants. His feet were bare.  
  
"Hey," he said to Asha.  
  
"Hey, yourself. Feel any better?"  
  
"Not really, but thanks for asking."  
  
"I brought some groceries. Figured if I was gonna cook, the least I could do was provide the ingredients. And I seem to recall that you like grilled salmon."  
  
"Wow, salmon." Logan was impressed. "Should I ask where you found salmon around here?"  
  
"Just like you, I have my sources," she teased. "Well, you can relax for a change. Tonight I have kitchen duty."  
  
"OK." Logan wheeled over to the computer room and turned on his computer, preparing to transcribe what Lydecker had told him. While Asha puttered in the kitchen, Logan put on his headset and plugged the cord into the tape recorder. As Lydecker's voice droned on, Logan rapidly typed up the transcript, pausing every now and then to annotate a particular point. He was practically holding his breath, so devastating was the information Lydecker had given him.  
  
He nearly jumped out of his skin when Asha tapped him on the shoulder.  
  
"Hey, dinner's ready, Logan. Back to reality."  
  
Reluctantly, he turned off the tape recorder, shut down the computer, and wheeled into the dining room. Asha had outdone herself. The table was set with candles and a small vase of flowers. There was a platter of perfectly grilled salmon, a bowl of wild rice, and a tossed salad on the table.  
  
"Whoa! Who did you have to kill for all this food?" Logan asked.  
  
Asha grinned. "I have my contacts, you have yours. I didn't even have to sleep with anyone. It's amazing what some people will do for a .357."  
  
"You swapped a gun for food?" Logan queried, setting his brakes.  
  
"Well, the poor guy was getting ripped off almost on a daily basis by a couple of Steelheads. I just helped him level the playing field. He was so grateful. He'll keep me in fresh fish for a long time."  
  
"You have obviously learned the lesson of 'quid pro quo' well," Logan said, a smile on his face.  
  
"I learn from the best," Asha replied. "Eat. You look like you need it."  
  
Logan hadn't realized how hungry he was until he tasted the salmon. Then he ate like a condemned man. Asha beamed, knowing that she had been able to match his culinary prowess at last, and that she also had been able to distract him momentarily from his obsession with Manticore. But her efforts to draw him out about the circumstances of his meeting with Lydecker or how he got shot at were fruitless. Logan was in his own world - no girls allowed.  
  
Dinner concluded with fresh fruit and a nice, unpretentious dessert wine.  
  
"My compliments to the chef," Logan said at last. "I don't normally get wined and dined like this."  
  
"Yeah, I'm guessing that you do the wining and dining," Asha stated, a smile in her voice.  
  
Logan replied sadly. "Kinda makes up for not being able to take them dancing."  
  
Asha rolled her eyes and began to clear the table. "I'm not even going there."  
  
"Let me do that. After all, you cooked."  
  
"Nah, go back to your tape recorder. It looks like you've got something important there and I don't want to hold you up."  
  
"It's OK," Logan insisted, torn between getting back to work on the tape and thanking Asha in a really unique way. Nonetheless, he unlocked his brakes and headed back to the computer room.  
  
"I'll make a deal with you," Asha said. "You go work on whatever it is you're working on, and I'll clean up the kitchen. When I'm done, I'll tap you on the shoulder again and see how far you jump, and we'll take it from there."  
  
Logan looked down apologetically. "I'm sorry. It's just that this is really important.."  
  
"I know it is." Asha carried the dishes into the kitchen. It always is, she thought.  
  
*****  
  
The dishes were washed and put away. The wine bottle had been re-corked and gently laid in the wine rack; the leftovers had been put in the refrigerator. The kitchen was all tidy. Asha untied the apron and hung it on a peg, then headed over to the computer room. Logan was furiously typing the transcript, his attention focused totally on the tape.  
  
Asha came up behind him and gently massaged his shoulders. Logan smiled contentedly and switched off the tape recorder.  
  
"Mmmm, that feels good."  
  
"Yeah, I thought you were tense. How about quitting for the night? It's nearly ten."  
  
Logan rubbed his neck, his hand touching Asha's. "I probably should. I'm beat." Asha withdrew her hand as he leaned over. He shut down the computer, locked the tape recorder in a drawer, and took off the headset. As he wheeled into the kitchen, he asked Asha if she wanted another glass of wine.  
  
"I probably shouldn't. I have to drive home," she said expectantly, hoping he would ask her to stay the night.  
  
"One small glass won't hurt you," he insisted. His back was to her, so he couldn't see the hurt expression on her face.  
  
"Well, if you insist," Asha replied as she moved to the living room and sat on the couch. A few minutes later, Logan joined her, rolling up next to the couch with the bottle of wine and two wine glasses in his lap. He placed the bottle and glasses on the coffee table, locked his brakes, and transferred to the couch next to her.  
  
He took her hand. "Dinner really was wonderful. Thanks so much. I needed that. Today was - intense. I found Lydecker, or rather, he found me. We arranged a meeting. When I got there, I thought he had sold me out to Manticore - he was with some guy from Manticore, and two soldiers came up behind me, guns drawn."  
  
"My God!" Asha turned toward Logan and put her other hand on his shoulder.  
  
"But Lydecker had a few tricks up his sleeve. He wrestled the gun away from the Manticore guy - that's how I got shot - knocked him to the ground and shot the two soldiers. I still wasn't sure what was going on, but the Manticore guy wouldn't stay down. He went for the gun and Lydecker shot him down where he stood. Then Lydecker spilled his guts to me all about Manticore. I've got what I need to have Eyes Only take Manticore down."  
  
Asha moved closer to Logan and put her arm around him. "Logan, I'm so glad. I know how hard this has been on you. Your mission's almost complete. Once you get that information to Eyes Only, maybe you can finally have some peace."  
  
"Peace, yeah, maybe. That would be nice, wouldn't it?" He lay his head on Asha's shoulder and wept. 


	11. Sleepless in Seattle, Chapter Eleven

A/N: Thanks to my betas, and to the readers of this story, who have stuck with it during the recent long intervals between chapters. Being involved in writing a Virtual Season Three has been taking a lot of time. Check out the results at: http://darkangelvirtuality.com/ and other late, lamented shows at: http://www.pvtonline.com/  
  
I live for reviews, so you know what to do.  
  
  
  
Chapter Eleven  
  
Asha continued to hold Logan. At last, she broke away and looked at him with concern.  
  
"Logan, shall I leave? Do you want to be alone?"  
  
"No, don't leave. Stay the night. I want you to."  
  
Asha smiled. "Time to turn in?"  
  
"Yeah, may as well. I don't want another day like this one."  
  
Logan slid off the couch and into the chair. Asha got up from the couch, turned out the lights, and locked the front door. Logan headed to the bedroom, and she followed him. While Logan performed his nightly ritual in the bathroom, Asha stripped and got into bed. When he came back into the bedroom, she pulled back the covers to facilitate his transfer to the bed.  
  
Once he was lying down, Logan stared up at the ceiling. "I can't believe how tired I am."  
  
"I guess getting shot at will do that to you." Asha snuggled up close and put her arms around him. "Relax, Logan. Everything will be all right. You need to get some sleep."  
  
"Yeah, I do," Logan agreed sleepily. He took off his glasses and turned out the light.  
  
*****  
  
There was no lovemaking that night. Logan was asleep almost immediately, with Asha holding him. She didn't sleep well, twisted into an uncomfortable position, but she didn't want to wake or disturb Logan, so she risked cramped muscles. So she lay there, cradling Logan in her arms, hoping that he could find peace in his life and that she could be a part of it.  
  
*****  
  
When Asha awoke the next day, the other side of the bed was empty. Groggily, she got up and wandered into the living room. She heard the tapping of keys, and followed the sound into the computer room. Logan was back in obsessive mode, rapidly typing, not even looking up to acknowledge her presence.  
  
"Morning," she said.  
  
Logan grunted in reply.  
  
"I see you're back at it. Is there any coffee?"  
  
Logan nodded, but still did not speak.  
  
"Is there a problem?"  
  
"-Ah, no, no problem. Just want to get this done. Should put the final nail in Manticore's coffin."  
  
"God, I hope so," Asha muttered. "Maybe then we could have an entire conversation for a change."  
  
"Huh? What?" Logan asked.  
  
"Nothing." Asha got a cup of coffee and flopped on the couch with the morning paper. She drank the coffee in silence, listening to the tap of the keys as Logan continued with his plan.  
  
When she finished the paper and the coffee, she got a hot shower, changed her clothes, and went back to the computer room.  
  
"Logan, I'm heading out. Do you need anything? I'll be back this evening."  
  
"I'm fine, thanks. I'll see you later then," Logan said absentmindedly.  
  
Asha kissed him on the cheek and left.  
  
*****  
  
When Asha returned to Logan's apartment later that day, the scene she happened on was almost surreal. Logan, nearly unconscious, his face bathed in sweat, a rash covering his body, was seated in his wheelchair, even though he wore the exoskeleton. A tall, blonde man was standing over him, with a gun aimed at his head. Asha drew her weapon and tiptoed toward the computer room, which looked like a battlefield. The screen panels were broken, as if they had been kicked out during a fight. Papers were scattered over the floor; the contents of the desk and table were disturbed. Asha quietly made her way to the doorway of the computer room, her gun at the ready.  
  
Standing in the doorway, she aimed her gun at the blonde-haired stranger. "Don't move. Put it on the floor," she ordered.  
  
The stranger laid his gun on the floor and smiled at her. Then, in a blur, he grabbed her gun and pointed it at her. "Fine, have it your way. I was just gonna put him out of his misery." He examined her weapon. "Nice piece," he said, and was gone.  
  
Asha quickly approached Logan, who was struggling to remain conscious.  
  
"My God, Logan, what's going on here?" she asked as she knelt beside him.  
  
" - Max - came back," Logan whispered.  
  
"She's alive?" Asha's eyes were wide in astonishment.  
  
" - Yes - Infected me - retrovirus - "  
  
"What can I do? Where is Max? Who was that man?" Asha tried to assess the situation, but there was not enough information yet.  
  
"Max - went for antigen - back to Manticore." Logan slipped into unconsciousness, then jerked himself back. "Manticore assassin - you stopped him."  
  
"Well, good thing. Now, what can I do? Shall I call an ambulance? Get you to the hospital?"  
  
"Won't do any good - Manticore virus - need to lie down."  
  
"OK." Asha knew she couldn't get Logan into bed by herself, but she could probably manage to move him to the couch. Gently, she pushed Logan's wheelchair into the living room; the fact that it had no handles made the task more difficult. At last, she got it moved next to the couch.  
  
"Logan, do you think you can stand up for a minute? Just to help me get you settled?"  
  
Logan struggled to his feet, supported by Asha, and took a couple of wobbly steps. Exhausted from the effort, he sat down.  
  
"That's good. Now, you need to lie down. Do you want to take off the exoskeleton? It might be better."  
  
Logan nodded weakly and lay down on the couch.  
  
"OK. Good thing this isn't the first time I've taken off your pants," Asha joked, trying to keep Logan conscious.  
  
"Yeah," came the whispered reply.  
  
Asha undid Logan's pants and quickly stripped them off. The exoskeleton was more difficult; she fumbled with the unfamiliar fastenings. Lifting Logan, even briefly, to remove it, left her sweating. But at last, if was off. She slid Logan's pants back on.  
  
Asha put a cushion under Logan's head to make him more comfortable. She felt his forehead; it was burning with fever. His pulse was racing. So she ran to the kitchen and got a towel, filled it with ice, and folded it up. Asha placed the improvised ice pack on Logan's forehead, hoping to bring the fever down. Then, having done all she could, she pulled a chair up next to the couch and sat there, holding Logan's hand.  
  
*****  
  
Asha didn't know how long she sat there, just holding on to Logan, trying to prevent him from slipping away. He had lost consciousness shortly after lying down, but she continued to talk to him, hoping he could hear her. Tears streaked her face as she contemplated life without him. When he started shivering, she covered him with a blanket. There was nothing more she could do.  
  
She heard a noise at the door and looked around, momentarily wondering if she needed a weapon - the blonde-haired stranger had dropped his before he had taken hers. But the apparition staring at her from the doorway of the computer room convinced her that it wasn't necessary.  
  
A girl stood there, startled at seeing her; a girl of average height, but skinny with sharply etched cheekbones, long, straight, lank hair, and huge dark eyes. She was dressed in a grey tee shirt and fatigue pants, like a soldier. Her face was dirty, and although blood stained her pants, she didn't seem to be bleeding.  
  
Asha blinked first. "You must be Max," she said.  
  
"Who are you?" Max said in an accusing tone of vice. "How is Logan?"  
  
"I'm Asha, a - friend of Logan's. He's in bad shape. Burning with fever, but shivering too. Unconscious. I did what I could."  
  
Asha let go of Logan's hand and stood up. She moved aside to let Max in, but Max stayed back, wavering with uncertainty. She held out a vial and a syringe.  
  
"Here, you do it. I - I can't touch him. That's how he got that way in the first place."  
  
Asha took the antigen and syringe. "OK. How much do I give him?"  
  
"I - I don't know. All of it?"  
  
Asha filled the syringe and injected Logan while Max looked on. Nothing happened. Max began to pace in front of the window, waiting for the antidote to take effect. "How long?" she said he herself several times.  
  
Asha joined her in pacing, watching Logan all the while. She looked at her watch. After about an hour, Logan's fever broke, and he stopped shivering. Shortly after that, he fell into a peaceful sleep, breathing regularly and strongly. Both women continued to pace.  
  
Several hours later, Logan awoke. Asha made him some broth and fed it to him. He ate it reluctantly. But it seemed to help, because he tried to sit up after he ate it. Asha helped him to right himself on the couch. He sat there, still groggy, but gradually becoming more alert. He looked at Max with a questioning expression on his face, but she avoided his gaze.  
  
Max continued to keep her distance from him, her head down. As she watched and waited, standing in front of his window, Logan gradually grew stronger and more alert. He continued to gaze at Max questioningly.  
  
It was obvious to Asha that he would recover from his ordeal. She gave him a last, quick check -pulse, temperature, the now-faded rash. Logan was subdued, as was Max.  
  
Asha walked over to Max, standing at the window, and said to her quietly, "He's going to be all right. Welcome back." Then she gathered up her backpack and jacket and left. Neither Max nor Logan said goodbye to her; neither Max nor Logan thanked her.  
  
Outside of Logan's door, she leaned against the wall and let the tears flow. Max was back; Logan had cheated death at her hands and those of the young blonde-haired man, and Asha, who had been the one to intervene twice to save his life, realized that she was the one who would be sleepless from now on.  
  
The tears drying on her face, she rang for the elevator.  
  
THE END 


End file.
